Jimmie's Chicken Shack returns to rock OC

Regional-gone-national rock favorite Jimmie's Chicken Shack has been tearing it up on area stages for a long time. The band, which is going to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2017, has outlasted a large number of the venues it used to play.

The group will play one of the area's newer rock clubs, The Alibi Room in downtown Ocean City, at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. Tickets are $20.

Based in Annapolis, the group played one of its earliest shows at the former Sir Guy's Restaurant & Pub on Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach (now the site of the Fins seafood restaurant) in the early '90s. The quartet released a pair of independent albums before getting signed to Elton John's Rocket Records label.

The band's third album, "Pushing the Salmanilla Envelope," yielded a pair of rock radio hits — "High" and "Dropping Anchor." In 1999, the "Bring Your Own Stereo" album produced the pop-flavored hit "Do Right."

READ MORE: OC showers locals with appreciation

The band is the brainchild of singer-guitarist Jimi "Haha" Davies, who is known for his quirky sense of humor. When asked what it was like to perform on television on Donny and Marie Osmond's short-lived afternoon talk show, Davies immediately harkened back to the sibling duo's signature song from the 1970s. "She was a little bit country," Davies said. "He was a little bit rock 'n' roll."

After his band made an international splash, Davies surprised beach locals by making a winter time appearance at an open-mic night at the former Angler's Rest nightspot on Route 1's Forgotten Mile north of Dewey Beach. After playing an acoustic set, he took the time to show host band Kokopelli how to correctly play "Dropping Anchor."

Goodbye to the old Freeman Stage, hello to the future

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Jimmie's Chicken Shack

WHEN: 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22.

WHERE: The Alibi Room, 501 S. Baltimore Ave., Ocean City

COST: $20

WEB: www.jimihaha.com