The Old City Buskers' roots are in dance music. The group first coalesced when a group of swing dancers picked up some instruments and said to one another, "You wanna play some dance music?" They started jamming after their weekly dances, playing late into the night. They grew tired of staying up so late on school nights, so they decided to play music in Market Square on the weekends. They had so much fun they just kept coming back. After many questions from bystanders about the group's name and availability for gigs, they figured they should make it official. "Old City" seemed an appropriate nod both to the beginnings in historic Knoxville, Tennessee and the style and era of their music, and of course "Buskers" had to be incorporated as an homage to their humble beginnings on the streets. A real band was born.

Since then they continue to play in Market Square, but have also played all over Knoxville and made appearances at dance events around the Southeast. Whether they're playing in a living room, a gym, on a boat, at the Laurel Theatre or in Market Square, they like to keep the energy high, the music happy and the beat chunky.