It might be a little bit country or it might be a little bit rock ‘n’ roll.

It might be Americana, but there’s one thing it definitely is: 100 percent pure-bred Athenian.

Stewart & Winfield, a band made of several University alumni on the road to making it big, will make a homecoming of sorts Saturday night when it takes the stage at the Georgia Theatre.

The story begins more than a decade ago, when string-musicians Stewart Marshall and Winfield Smith graduated from the same high school and both made the trip to Athens to attend the University. The pair soon hooked up, forming a duo who, by 1989, were gigging around the town on a regular basis.

“Once we got up here, we started playing at The Station — it was a place just beyond the projects on College Avenue — three nights a week,” Marshall said.

The pair played mostly covers, with an occasional original thrown in.

“That was before downtown was big, but that’s a great way to cut your chops,” Marshall said.

The pair knew, however, that being a cover band wouldn’t pay the bills.

After obtaining their college degrees, Marshall and Smith parted ways.

“I went out west when I graduated,” Marshall said. “It wasn’t until about 1996 when we really started getting stuff back together.”

In 1996, Smith joined Marshall in the American West, and the pair began playing in Colorado ski towns.

The music soon morphed into what has become an individual style, a type of new Americana.

The sound was like that of Buddy and Judy Miller, one of Marshall’s favorites. But not.

The band was like Neil Young and Crazy Horse, another heavy influence. But not.

Stewart & Winfield’s “song-oriented” style would range from bluegrass to rock to country and back again.

The only thing certain about the music of the two Georgia boys, is that they wanted to make it, and audiences wanted to hear it.

Stewart & Winfield quickly hit the studio, and by early 1997, the duo had recorded a debut, titled “…’bout Time.”

A follow-up (“Narrows”) came later the same year, and a third (“Bum Parade”) hit the shelves in 1999.

In 2001, the duo, along with bassist David Nickel, touring guitarist A.J. Adams and drummer Carlton Owens, returned to Athens to lay down its fourth release, “Another Round — Live.”

The album was recorded at the Georgia Theatre, a favorite venue of the band.

“The main place that we play (in Athens) is the Georgia Theatre, and that’s a top notch venue here,” Marshall said. “It feels good to have that much

experience in this town, to play there and have a packed house.”

In January, Stewart & Winfield played a special unplugged show, crowding hundreds of Athens-area fans into the Wild Wing Cafe on Washington Street.

Marshall said he believes this weekend’s homecoming show will be just as successful — the band has a large-and-growing fanbase here, and all of its recent shows have been well-received.

“We have great fans here and great turn-outs,” he said. “We need to evaluate what we have (in Athens) and use that to capitalize on other towns.”

The band has already played everywhere from Utah to Maine, but to echo the sentiments of Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” Marshall said there is no place like home.

“It’s kind of like we never left,” he said.

Despite reaching the high-life in its hometown, Stewart & Winfield isn’t taking a moment to glance back over its past accomplishments.

Instead, Marshall and Smith look ahead to the band’s future.

Marshall said the band will, with a little help, have another album out before the year’s end.

“We have (another album) in the can, we’re just holding out … to see if we can get some label support,” he said.

He also said the help of a label could help them promote the album, as well as help fans get what they want from Stewart & Winfield — the music.

“Back in the late ’80s, we were doing the cover thing,” he said. “But it’s all originals now. People come to hear our stuff.”

As for how high Stewart & Winfield will go, Marshall said there is no way to predict.

“Who knows what (the next level) is,” he said.

Marshall assumes, however, the current “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” bluegrass revival can’t hurt the band’s success.

“There’s definitely that element in there,” he said. “Our first album has mandolin and banjo as the lead instruments, and our music still has that kind of festivalish-roots rock thing going.”