In the early 90’s, brothers Carl and Jim Mager had somewhat given up playing music on any kind of a sustained scale. In fact, Jim had retired from the business all together and Carl was not involved in anything musically at the time. Jeremiah, Jim’s son, had pulled his dad’s bass out the case and was just messing around with it. Before long he had taught himself how to play. The next thing he did was call his Uncle Carl and ask if he would consider starting a little band. Nothing serious, of course. With that request, Carl called Jim and said, “That boy of yours wants to play a little music, are you up for doing anything?” Thus, the start of Back In The Saddle; and, guess how they arrived at the name of the band?

They still needed a drummer; so, they called an old friend from the past named, Joe Smith. Joe was working with another group, but since he was ready for something different, he decided to come over and help out his old pals, Jim and Carl.

After years of doing covers, the brothers thought it might be interesting to try their hand at songwriting and record a CD. Jim and Carl basically financed the project and into the studio they went. Four months later they released the self-tilted project called, “Back In The Saddle.” The CD resulted in a collection of ten songs that were either written, or co-written, by Carl and Jim. The CD was well received by the band’s following and local media.

After winning the local Jimmy Dean Country Showdown sponsored by Litchfield, IL country station WSMI, they traveled to Springfield, IL for the state competition and finished 3rd. Since then they have appeared on “Show Me St. Louis” and were voted “Band of the Year” for 3 consecutive years by the River Bend Growth Association and have had the opportunities to open for a few nationally known artists.

Over the years, the band developed its own style, personality and stage presence. In January 2006, the band was taken in a new direction of pursuing larger venues, events and stage shows. There was also another change taking place. Joe Smith decided to pursue other things outside of music and left the band. He was replaced by friend Adam Ward. Adam soon left us to start the next phase of his life with his lovely wife. Enter....Mike Edwards. Mike has played for a couple different bands and brings with him many years of experience on the drums.

As the band has refined and honed its craft, the group stays busy performing for private parties, fairs, festivals, and charity events across Illinois and Missouri. Providing a quality entertainment product and helping folks have a good time are what the boys strive for on a continuing basis.