Easy Eddie and the Partyrockers are 20 years old. We won’t speculate about the ages of the members.

And in celebration of those 20 years of touring and playing shows across the region and much of the country, Easy Eddie and the Partyrockers are throwing a party &045; and you’re invited.

The band will give a free concert Saturday from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Riverview Resort and RV Park, just south of the Mississippi River Bridge on the Vidalia Riverfront.

&uot;We knew we wanted to do something if we made it this long,&uot; Gary Caldwell, the band’s bassist, said.

One of the Miss-Lou’s most popular local bands, the group has been together since August 1985, and the members thought it was about time to do something for the communities that have supported them so well.

&uot;This was a way for us to give something back,&uot; Caldwell said. &uot;It’s a free concert. We’re paying for the place, for the security, for everything. It’s just a celebration party for us having made it this long.&uot;

Caldwell said the group expects as many as 1,000 people at the concert. This concert is a chance for the members to reflect on the journey they’ve taken. Twenty years ago, it didn’t seem like this would be what happened.

Easy Eddie wasn’t even a shoo-in to be the band’s name at first.

&uot;We were an oldies group and it seemed like all the oldies bands were Somebody Somebody and the Somebodies,&uot; Caldwell said. &uot;So we came up with four names to pick from.&uot;

The choices were: Thunder Lip and the Buzzards, Little Lillie Red and the Bluebirds, Rich Ratchet and the Snap-On Tools and Easy Eddie and the Partyrockers.

Caldwell said McGlothin came up with most of the ideas from things he had heard working in his barbershop.

So things have come a long way since then. Perhaps their latest album says it best: &uot;Has It Really Been 20 Years?&uot; came out earlier this year. Caldwell, singer Glen McGlothin, guitarist Jimmy Wheeler, keyboard player George Prince and drummer Jerry Williams make up the group’s current lineup. Larry Boland is the group’s sound and technical consultant.

In the early days, Easy Eddie was an oldies band, but the group has branched out, playing country, soul, blues and some modern songs.

&uot;We started playing about once a month,&uot; Caldwell said. &uot;We had all played full-time in bands before. Soon it got to be just about every weekend. Now we do probably 48 weekends a year and some midweek shows too.&uot;

Caldwell said playing in the band is a way for the members to cut loose and have a good time when they are away from their regular jobs.

&uot;We have fun and we project that fun to the crowd. It’s not so much about musicianship as about enjoyment,&uot; Caldwell said. &uot;This is our release. Our mission is to make the people have fun.&uot;

Caldwell said the group plans to play for four hours straight at the concert.

&uot;We’ll probably be totally exhausted by the time we get through,&uot; Caldwell said. &uot;Our normal recovery time is we’re good again by Thursday, then we get started again on Friday.&uot;