The locally-known Bullseye Band will be performing at multiple events this upcoming weekend, bringing with them decades of experience with the Carter County Community.

In particular, the band will play this Friday at the Elk’s Lodge in Elizabethton, and during Saturday evening’s Covered Bridge Jams from 7 to 9 p.m.

Michael Little said he and his two brothers, Patrick and Mark, formed the band in 1982 along with Steve Chambers, though Chambers is no longer part of the group.

“I do not know of a band around here that had the same three members for as long as us,” Little said.

The band’s familial ties extend into every aspect of their history. Once the brothers decided they wanted to do gigs and other concerts, Little said their father became like their agent.

“Dad was the glue,” he said. “If we needed anything money-wise, […] he was there. Dad was so proud of his boys.”

He said his mom even bought them their first PA system.

“Back then, we just started practicing,” he said. “We started with little birthday parties and fraternal clubs.”

He said his dad, without any financial compensation, worked tirelessly to get them places to play and ways to get the word out about them.

When he died in 1993, his legacy to the band was so strong, Little said they kept playing because of him.

“Dad would not want us to stop playing,” Little said. “Some people play music for three years, quit for two, play for four and quit for five. We never stopped.”

The band’s scope is as broad as its history, stretching into a wide variety of genres, both modern and classic hits.

“We play stuff people have heard over the radio or are familiar with,” he said.

One example he mentioned was Rocky Top. Though he sometimes gets tired of playing the song every now and then, he said the band wants to engage with their listeners as much as possible.

“Dad said ‘You watch a dance floor. If they are dancing, you are doing good,’” Little said.

Little also teaches music in addition to playing it, and said his pupils have gone on to join other groups such as Clay Walker, the Grand Ole Opry and other gospel groups.

“We play a generation of music,” Little said. “We have a good time with it.”

As the band approaches four decades of music in 2021, Little said the band will not be able to play forever.

“I do not know how much longer we will be able to go,” he said. “You do what you have got to do.”

Until that day comes, he said he and his two brothers will continue to play as much as they can.