Forty years, 25 albums, nine Grammies.
The western-swing, boogie, roots music band Asleep at the Wheel has an impressive musical history that spans decades and state lineas.
“The band has changed very little in our 40 years, except the level of musicianship has gone way up and our repertoire has expanded, including songs from every decade of our 40 years,” said Wheel founder and frontman Ray Benson.
Four years ago the Texas group played two sold-out shows at Orcas Center – and now they’re back. Asleep at the Wheel will perform on Saturday, Oct. 23 at two times: 6 and 9 p.m. There will be an authentic Texas barbecue starting at 4:30 p.m. Tickets for the meal and the early performance are $50; the later showing is $30 or $25 for Orcas Center members.
Benson started the band in 1970 in Paw Paw, West Virginia. The group played their first “big show,” opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna. In 1975, the release of “Texas Gold” on Capitol Records elevated the band to one of the most popular country acts of the decade, with “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read” becoming a top-ten country hit. The band received its sixth Grammy nomination and first win in 1978 – eight more wins followed in the years to come.
The roster of former and current members of Asleep at the Wheel includes more than 80 of the industry’s finest musicians. The band has recorded or shared the stage with Garth Brooks, George Strait, Vince Gill, Dixie Chicks, Dwight Yoakam, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Manhattan Transfer, and toured with Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and more.
“I think we have stayed around this long because 1.) I wouldn’t quit; 2.) People kept telling me how much they appreciated what we were doing and how we were keeping a tradition and music alive that was so important; and 3.) Every 10 years or so a new generation discovers western swing and roots Americana music, so we pick up new fans every year,” Benson said.
In 2005, “A Ride With Bob: The Bob Wills Musical” was co-written by Benson and featured Asleep at the Wheel. Performances sold out across the country, including at the Kennedy Center.
Keeping alive the tradition of swing made popular by Wills and the Texas Playboys, the band keeps a hectic touring schedule.
In 2010, the group celebrated its 40th anniversary with a film documentary, touring, and recording.
Today, the band shines with vocalist Elizabeth McQueen, fiddler-singer Jason Roberts, vocalist and bass player David Miller, Eddie Rivers on sax and pedal steel, Dan Walton on piano, drummer David Sanger, and, of course, Benson, who does vocals and plays electric and acoustic guitar.
The smooth baritone voice of Benson, who is truly “Texan” in stature at 6’7” (although he’s originally from Philadelphia), can be heard in national advertising campaigns and radio station imaging. Ray is also an active industry leader, serving as a Trustee of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Chairman of the SIMS Foundation in Austin TX, and member of Board of Directors for several other Austin-based non-profits. In 2004, Benson was named the official Texas State Musician.
At the Orcas Center concert, Benson says to expect a “great foot stomping time with an inclusion of songs from every decade of Asleep at the Wheel’s history.”
To buy tickets
Visit www.orcascenter.org or call 376-2281 ext. 1.
