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On Sept. 13, the Georgiana Opry House will host a “Nashville Country Music Celebration,” featuring Doc Martin and the Mysterious Cowboys. The band, known for its authentic country music, is making its first road show appearance after regularly performing at the Troubadour in Nashville.

“I grew up singing in a Southern Baptist Church,” said Robert “Doc” Martin, the group’s founder and lead singer. “I’ve loved Country Music since I was a child… all those Saturday country music shows coming out of Nashville, like The Grand Ole Opry.”

Martin, who began performing as a duet act with guitarist Andrea Benz in 2023 before forming the full band, expressed his excitement about bringing their music to the historic Georgiana Opry House.

“This is our first road show,” Martin said. “We’ve been playing the Troubadour in Nashville and we want to take our show on the road.”

The six-member band’s connection to the Opry House is deeply rooted in its history.

“Hank Williams began his career here,” Martin noted. “He did some of his first performances at the Opry House, so we’re following in his footsteps. Some of the very first songs that I learned were Hank Williams songs.”

Andrea Benz, who hails from Switzerland and studied jazz guitar in college, is the group’s lead guitarist. Despite her jazz training, Benz says she was always drawn to country music.

“Country was always my passion,” Benz joked. “So no matter what I was supposed to play, it always ended up sounding country.”

The band’s setlist includes classic country hits from artists like Johnny Paycheck, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Dwight Yoakam and, of course, Hank Williams Sr. 

“We’re really trying to keep traditional country music alive,” Martin said. “And we take a lot of pride in that.”

After their performance at the Georgiana Opry House, Doc Martin and the Mysterious Cowboys are scheduled to play at the Capitol Theater in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They hope to build a circuit of theaters where they can bring their music to a wider audience.

Martin credited much of the band’s success to Rodney and Jennifer Collins of Nashville, who own the Troubadour and the Music City Bar and Grill.

“Rodney took an interest in what we were doing and offered to let us practice at the Troubadour for free, then Jennifer kept us playing,” Martin said. “They’ve been so important to us.”

The band prides itself on not only its musical authenticity but also the strong friendships among its members, which Martin believes are evident in their performances.

“We take a lot of pride in our show,” he said. “We’re friends, and we really enjoy playing together and you can tell.”

Tickets for the “Nashville Country Music Celebration” are $20 and can be purchased through the Georgiana Opry House. Martin promises a memorable evening with the show running  from 7 to 11 p.m.

“It’ll be a full show,” Martin said. “We’ll have a first half, do a little intermission, then there’ll be a second half. You’re really going to get your money’s worth.”