Asleep at the Wheel: (Western Swing, Then and Now)

Asleep at the Wheel: (Western Swing, Then and Now)

Western swing (WS) is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late late-1920s in Southwestern USA, among the region's western string bands. WS is dance music with an up-tempo beat. During its heyday (1930s ~ 1940s) WS attracted huge crowds to dance halls and clubs in the Mid-west, Southwest and California. The music is a mixture of rural, cowboy, polka, folk, Dixieland jazz and blues blended with swing. WS was often augmented with drums, saxophones, pianos and, notably, the steel guitar. The electrically-amplified stringed instruments, especially the steel guitar, give the music a distinctive sound.

Western swing differs in several ways from the music played by the nationally-popular horn-driven big swing bands of the same era. In western bands, even the fully orchestrated bands, vocals and other instruments followed the fiddle's lead. Additionally, although popular horn bands tended to arrange and score their music, most western bands improvised freely, either by soloists or collectively. Well-known groups during the peak of western swing included The Light Crust Doughboys, Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies, Tex Williams and His Western Caravan and Hank Thompson and His Brazos valley Boys.

Asleep at the Wheel is a contemporary country and WS band formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia (1970), but was based in Austin, Texas. The band only scored one top-10 country hit, but has collected nine Grammy Awards since their inception. In 1969, Ray Benson and Lucky Oceans co-founded Asleep at the Wheel. Their plan was to form a real live WS band, influenced by the likes of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. The initial lineup included, Ray Benson (vocals, guitar), Lucky Oceans (steel guitar), Danny Levin (fiddle, mandolin) and Chris O'Connell (vocals, guitar). The band spent a brief time in Washington, D.C., before moving to Oakland, California (1973), where they were joined by Floyd Domino (keyboard). After being mentioned in Rolling Stone magazine by Van Morrison, they landed a record deal with United Artists (1973) and recorded their debut album, Comin' Right At Ya. The band left Oakland for Texas (1974) and landed in heart of Bob Wills'country, Austin. That same year, the band released their second album, Asleep at the Wheel with a cover of Louis Jordan's Choo Choo Ch'Boogie, which was their debut Billboard chart single on Epic Records..

The Letter That Johnny Walker Read (No. 10, 1975) was their only top-ten song. The band didn't have much of an impact on the country charts. WS music was popular dance hall music, but it wasn't common chart-topping music. Most prominent WS bands, including Asleep at the Wheel were all affected by the phenomenon. After Johnny Walker charted, their singles sporadically appeared in the top-forty, including, Bump, Bounce, Boogie (No. 31, 1975), Nothin' Takes the Place of You (No. 35, 1976), Miles and Miles of Texas (No. 38, 1976). In 1977, the band was voted Best Country Western Band by Rolling Stone Magazine and was awarded the Touring Band of the Year by the Academy of Country Music.

The 1980s was a turbulent decade for the band. Co-founder Lucky Oceans left the band and Chris O'Connell left in 1986. The ensemble got a second chance with Epic Records (1987) with the release of the album, 10, which won them their second Grammy for Best Country Instrumental. The album launched their comeback and generated the song, House of Blue Lights (No. 17, 1987), which was their final top-40 chart single.

The following year, the band released Western Standard Time, which won them another Grammy for Best Country Instrumental. In the mid-80s, Jann Browne joined the group as a vocalist. In 1987, the band included Benson (vocals, guitar), Larry Franklin (fiddle), Michael Francis (sax), John Ely (steel guitar), Tim Alexander (keyboard), Dave Dawson (bass) and David Sanger (drums) . In 1993, the band released, A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and WS to much critical acclaim with several guest musicians. Benson brought together some of the best talent in country music of the time to record the album, including Dwight Yoakam, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. Two years later, the band celebrated their twenty-fifth anniversary by releasing The Wheel Keeps on Rollin'. In 1995, Benson (the only remaining founding member) released his first solo album beyond the Time, which earned two Grammy Nominations.

Asleep at the Wheel received 6 Austin Music Awards for their efforts in 2007 including Band of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (Benson), Country Band of the Year, Record Producer of the Year (Benson), Male Vocals of the Year (Benson) and Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year (McQueen). Benson was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2002. RJB: Country Music Historian: 8/2010

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Music

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[flashbell]

Thank you. Well we just got reamed out by a viewer over a previous Asleep at the Wheel upload, so we removed it. She was hateful and I didn't need the headache. That's why I uploaded this one. I have added a description to this upload that you may want to read.

[jtls8]

@flashbell I almost always read the info box that you take the

time to add. I don`t know she is, but I just for the life of me can not understand why someone that not like what you have uploaded would even listen to it? Why doesn`t she watch something she enjoys> Also I believe if you don not something constructive to say, do not say anything! I know I am not the only one

that enjoy your uploads and a BIG THANK YOU for doing it!!!!!!

[flashbell]

@jtls8 , Thank you. I think some viewers take the uploads for granted, but I know you appreciate my work and you always provide me feedback. I enjoy doing this, but moreover, I'm trying to keep original countrty music in the mainstream. Once it is gone, it will be forever forgotten.

[flashbell]

@jtls8 , yeah you are correct. With 7.8 million channel views, we must be doing something worth while.

[jtls8]

Hope people that like great music appreciate the time and hard work that you do

so we can hear these great artists that you upload!!!!!!!!

[flashbell]

@jtls8 , I spend an average of ten hours per upload that includes a short bio, so it isn't very heart warming to get bitched out like that.. She said I need to find some other way to occupy my time. Since I don't receive any financial gain from this, maybe I should follow her advise and find something that would generate revenue for my time. Thank you.

[TurbinePower69]

Just want to say a Huge THANK YOU....for posting the music of probably the last really great WS band.....and also, for your own personal efforts and sacrifices to get it done !! It's GREATLY APPRECIATED !! In reading some of your comments.....it saddens me that, apparently...some " lady " did not appreciate your efforts.....I don't know why or what her reason was, but

all I can say is to "her"....Grow up ! ...and get a life !

[zaaritha]

This is good!

[FAUSTORICCARDO]

I like V much this genre of C.M. Grazie Bell also for infos wrote.

F@usto