The band originally formed in 1994 as a subgroup of the Blues In The Night Jazz Orchestra, an 18-piece big band which performed classic big band music in the Triangle throughout the 1990s.  Originally named the Baby Blues Jazz Ensemble, the original lineup featured a trumpet/saxophone (Eric Kulz-trumpet and Scott Rachels-saxophone) front with a three-piece rhythm section (Mark Gloden-piano, Barry Carroll-bass, Dave Leder-drums). 

With the addition of vocalist Angie Davenport in 1995, the Baby Blues performed a variety of jazz standards, and performed at weddings, corporate affairs, and in various public venues throughout the Triangle.  The Baby Blues has been a perennial favorite at the Cary Starlight Concert Series, which started in he mid-1990s. 

Lineup changes through the mid and late 1990s included the departure of Scott Rachels and Barry Carroll.  Mark Gloden took on the saxophone duties and Tom Richards added his considerable keyboard skills to the group.  The bass guitar role was filled by Greg Ames, who also brought his recording engineering skills to the band.  The addition of Richard Warren on trumpet completed the horn section, and formed the core of the group as the Baby Blues entered the new millennium. 

The band completed its first recording, Baby Blues Christmas, in 2001.  The band's sound began to evolve, with the addition of some more contemporary songs to the repertoire.  The Hammond B-3 organ was given a prominent role in the band's sound, and the horn section also added new dimensions, with Mark picking up the baritone saxophone and Eric adding the trombone.  The horn section also began contributing on auxiliary percussion, as the band began an exploration of Latin jazz.

The sound of the band was dramatically enhanced by the addition of Andy Citron on guitar late in 2001, forming the eight-piece ensemble that today is Oak City Groove.  The band is expanding it's repertoire in many directions, taking songs from diverse sources such as Spyro Gyra, David Benoit, Steely Dan, Santana, and Sade, and giving them the distinctive Oak City Groove sound.  However, the band still pays homage to it's roots, and  continues to perform the classic, hard-swinging jazz of the Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis, Nat King Cole, and Duke Ellington.

The band took the name Oak City Groove in 2004, in part to dispel the misconception that they are a “blues” band.  They used to be the most in-demand contemporary blues, latin, ska, new age, punk, reggae, hip hop, soul, Gregorian chant artists in the Triangle. But now they has Jazz.  The new name also reflects the evolution of the band's sound, which takes elements of the past and present, and melds them together to make the distinctive Oak City Groove sound. 

During the summer of 2004, the band completed the recording of over a dozen tunes.  The project, which took two years to complete, will provide a delectable sampler of the wide range of styles and sounds that make up Oak City Groove.  Samples of some of these songs can be found on this website.  Enjoy!!