When Dennis Kingsbury went to John D. Lamb's annual songwriters' retreat in Harbor Springs, he'd take the performance times to throw together an impromptu group to play a few songs.

After pairing up in 2001 with Jim Bizer of Franklin, Maggie Ferguson of Auburn Hills and Denise Marie Stein of St. Clair Shores, he called the group Floyd King and the Bushwackers.

The group will perform Saturday night with Lost Cuzzins in the Upper Level Acoustic Café in Port Huron.

Kingsbury said the group will perform original music, as well as Southern-style gospel and covers of old rock 'n' roll acts such as The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly.

"Most of the songs tend to be stories. A lot of them are about actual people," said Bizer, a singer-songwriter.

Bizer said Kingsbury is the group's main songwriter.

"He writes more true-life songs than almost anybody I know," Bizer said.

"He comes up with terrific stories that he gets out of friends and acquaintances, and they come up as songs."

Both Kingsbury and Bizer have rock music in their backgrounds.

"It's kind of rock 'n' roll played on bluegrass instruments," Bizer said.

Members of the quartet play guitar, mandolin, Dobro, Autoharp and dulcimer during sets.

Bizer said playing as part of the group is fun, because he does a lot of solo shows away from the band.

"(The audience) can expect some beautiful four-part harmonies," he said.

"It's going to swing from some fairly high-energy stuff to gorgeous, powerful ballads."

Kingsbury said performing throughout the Thumb area has helped gain the group a following.

"I think I'm a very lucky person to have such talented friends," Kingsbury said.

"They go along with my sometimes crazy ideas. That they're able to do that really is a treat for me."

Contact Craig Davison at (810) 989-6276 or cdavison@gannett. com.