Asleep at the Wheel Benefit Concert
Back at Camp Silverado: 9-Time Grammy-Winning Kings of Western Swing
On August 30th at Shelly Hummel's beautiful ranch, Rotary members and friends enjoyed a private concert by Asleep At The Wheel. Proceeds from ticket sales benefitted the Nepal Fracture Clinic and Humane Society of Central Oregon. Rotary member Alan Huestis shot this great video of the performance.
Asleep at the Wheel founder Ray
Benson, Lucky Oceans and Leroy Preston were really just
three alterna-culture refugees when they landed in Paw Paw, W.
Va., in the summer of 1969. Their plan was to form a real live
Western swing band, influenced by the likes of
fellow-gonzo-swinger Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen.
After drifting through Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, the
band (which got its record deal when Van Morrison raved about
them in Rolling Stone) landed in heart of Bob Wills country:
Austin, Texas, in the early '70s. With its fondness for jazz,
blues, rock and country, the band was an instant hit with the
same folks who Asleep At The Wheel embraced Willie Nelson and
the rest of the Outlaws.
The Wheel
Timeline
1970
Band starts in Paw Paw, West Virginia
Play first "big show" opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna in
D.C.
1971
Band moves to California at the invitation of Commander Cody
And His Lost Planet Airmen
Van Morrison helps the band to get first record deal by
mentioning them in an interview in Rolling Stone Magazine
1973
Debut album Comin’ Right At Ya released by United
Artists
At invitation of Willie Nelson and Doug Sahm, moves to Austin,
Texas
1974
“ Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” from their second
album Asleep at the Wheel is their first chart single
1975
The release of Texas Gold on Capitol Records elevates 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. Band appears on the first regularly
scheduled “Austin City Limits” (and have appeared a
record ten times since.)
1977
Voted Best Country & Western Band by Rolling Stone
Awarded “Touring Band of the Year” by Academy of
Country Music
Band tours Europe with Emmylou Harris
The band has collected nine Grammys since then. In addition to
two-all star Bob Wills tributes in the '90s, the ensemble
offered a concept album Asleep at the Wheel Remembers the Alamo
in 2003. Also that year, Benson (the only remaining founding
member) released his first solo album, Beyond Time, which
earned two Grammy nominations.
