EXHIBIT 31.1
                                                                    ------------

  Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer
                CERTIFICATION FOR QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-QSB

I, David B. Barbour, certify that:

1)   I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-QSB of Classic Bancshares,
     Inc.;

2)   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statements
     of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
     statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
     were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
     report;

3)   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements and other financial
     information included in this report, fairly present in all material
     respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of
     the small business issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this
     report;

4)   The small business issuer's other certifying officer(s) and I are
     responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
     procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for
     the small business issuer and we have:

     a)   Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
          disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
          supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the small
          business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made
          known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the
          period in which this report is being prepared;

     b)   Evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's disclosure
          controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions
          about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures as
          of the end of the period covered by this report based on such
          evaluation; and

     c)   Disclosed in this report any change in the small business issuer's
          internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the
          small business issuer's most recent fiscal quarter (the small business
          issuer's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that
          has materially affected, or is reasonable likely to materially affect,
          the small business issuer's internal control over financial reporting;
          and

5)   The small business issuer's other certifying officer(s) and I have
     disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
     financial reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors and the audit
     committee of small business issuer's board of directors (or persons
     performing the equivalent function):

     a)   All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
          operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
          reasonably likely to adversely affect the small business issuer's
          ability to record, process, summarize and report financial
          information; and

     b)   Any fraud, whether material or not material, that involves management
          or other employees who have a significant role in the small business
          issuer's internal controls over financial reporting.


      /s/ David B. Barbour                                 Date: August 19, 2003
      -----------------------------------------
      David B. Barbour
      President & CEO