Don’t be fooled – The Common People Band is pretty strange.

This local Motown group is famous for being a great local wedding band, but few know that they have been around for more than 20 years and have played at the White House twice.

“James Lester Jr. and my brother [Melvin Burgess] started the band years ago,” said bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Charles Burgess. At the age of 66, Burgess has been with The Common People band for almost 20 years.

“The band was called Family Rebirth then,” said James Lester Jr., drummer and backup vocalist, the only original member remaining. “We kept that name for about six years.”

After much hesitation, the members decided it was time to change the name.

“We were the common people,” Lester said. “It kind of fit.”

Seventeen years later, The Common People Band is still thriving on America’s love of the Motown sound.

“Motown is kind of like country music,” said Lester. “It never dies. Even the young kids that go to University of Georgia are [exposed to] Motown, because their parents play that type of music around the house.”

Though The Common People Band is passionate about Motown, members maintain diversity by playing the music of Journey and Etta James, which became possible upon their recent addition of a female vocalist and the niece of Charles Burgess, Latasha Burgess.

On a particularly momentous occasion, The Common People Band found themselves performing at a wedding that Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) attended.

After watching the band, Chambliss approached Lester and invited him to play at the White House. Lester said that he wasn’t expecting the senator to follow up on his offer. He was surprised, however, when Chambliss called him the next night and made a date.

The band also performed twice during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City – at the exclusive Supper Club and the U.S.S. Intrepid, which has been part of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum for decades.

The band members boasted of opening for Grammy-award winning country singer Randy Travis.

Despite being contacted by an influential politician, The Common People Band members insisted that what really started their careers was a show at City Bar in the early 1990s.

“If you had gone outside [during the show], you would have lost your way into the place because it was so packed,” Lester said.

The band members said the music world labels them as a “high-energy” group, which is much to their delight.

“When we perform, it’s not just performing,” said Burgess. “We do it from the heart. You can tell the difference.”

Willy Brown said he agreed.

“We bring the energy with us. We feel like if we’re having fun, they’re having fun.”

To add to the excitement, the band encourages audience members to join them on stage.

“If we’re performing and you want to come up on our stage, we’re glad to have you,” said Burgess.

The guys said they remembered a few instances of crowd members taking the stage and seizing the microphone.

“Some people come up thinking they can sing, and they can’t carry a tune,” Lester said. “But we don’t stop them.”

The band dominates the wedding and party circuit these days, which puts them on the road about two weekends a month.

“It’s hard for a musician to stay on the road as much as we do unless you’ve got a really understanding wife,” Burgess said with a laugh.

The Common People Band said they try to be philanthropic. They donate their time to several worthy causes, including performing for local retirement homes, Relay For Life events and the American Cancer Society. Burgess said they had considered following Johnny Cash’s example and performing for prisoners in penitentiaries.

“It’s not about money with us,” he said. “It’s about trying to give something back.”

“I consider myself a very lucky person,” Burgess said. “A lot of guys my age are laid back in retirement homes. I feel like I can do anything any young person can do.”

Burgess and Lester know that the joy of making music has contributed to their good health.

“My daughter asked me when I was going to stop playing drums,” Lester said.

“Right now I’m probably the oldest drummer in town that’s still playing. I told her when I get [to] where my feet and legs and arms are not able to move the way they’re supposed to, then I’ll stop. And when I get there, I will not be bitter.”