Asleep at the Wheel, the "post-modern kings of western swing," will be performing on Saturday, May 19 at 7:30 pm at Sheridan's WyoTheater. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and military, $20 for students.
Asleep at the Wheel is an American musical institution: a kinship of like-minded musicians (over 80 to date) united under Ray Benson's crusade to carry the torch of big band western swing music into the 21st century. Over the years, the group has won nine Grammys, and praise and admiration from Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, George Strait, and Van Morrison.
"This is improvisational music, which I think is the whole ball of wax, because that's where the rubber really meets the road -- and it's why we play it," says Benson. "I think it's interesting to listen to updated versions of what people do, hearing how they have evolved. People change, and I love to have the luxury of having a career this long to do it. Part of the impetus was touring with Bob Dylan a couple of years ago. Every night, Dylan would do those songs a little differently, and it made it very exciting to see where they were going to go each night." Their importance in today’s music cannot be understated as they have continued to carry the torch of western swing and pack venues across the globe.
