One of the Washington, DC area's top honky-tonk groups, Karen Collins & the Backroads Band play real country music. Their original shuffles, two-steps, and buckle-polishing slow tunes project an authentic vintage sound. The twang continues with a list of covers that range from Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb, to Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, with dashes of Bob Wills and Chuck Berry thrown in.

The band is lead by Karen Collins, a coal miner’s daughter from Southwest VA (vocals, rhythm guitar) and features Ira Gitlin (lead guitar and vocals), Geff King(bass and vocals) and Pat Puglisi (drums).

The band has two award winning CDs, “No Yodeling on The Radio” and “Tail Light Blues”. WAMA (Washington Area Music Association) awarded the band the following awards this year : Karen – “Best Country Vocalist”, Ira – “Best Country Instrumentalist”, Karen Collins & The Backroads Band – “Best Country Duo/Group.”

“Karen Collins is an authentic country voice in the style of Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, and her band can rock like Sun Records, with virtuoso picker Ira Gitlin nailing notes all over the place.” - The Muse’s Muse