The Blue River Series of the Breckenridge Music Festival is thrilled to present Asleep at the Wheel at the Riverwalk Center on Saturday August 21 at 7:30pm. This Western swing band has entertained thousands of people across the country and has won nine Grammy’s since 1970 – including one in 2001 for best Vocal Performance By A Duo or Group for “Cherokee Maiden” from their acclaimed Ride With Bob album. Tickets, $23 in advance, $28 day of show, can be purchased by calling 970-547-3100 or ordered online by Clicking Here
Rolling Stone, who voted Asleep at the Wheel “Best Country & Western Band” in 1977, refers to the band as “one of the most popular and acclaimed bands of its genre, re-popularizing western swing at a time when it had fallen out of favor with the country world.” Though the group has had nearly 100 members over the years, one constant has been frontman Ray Benson. Following the release of their 1973 debut, Comin’ Right At Ya, Asleep at the Wheel moved to Austin, Texas, their current home base. In 1974 the band scored their first chart hit with “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie,” from a self-titled effort on Epic Records.
Asleep at the Wheel scored their biggest hit to date in 1975 with Texas Gold, released on Capitol Records. Featuring the crossover hit “The Letter That Johnny Walker Red,” Texas Gold made Asleep at the Wheel one of the more popular country groups of the decade. Several more albums followed, but by the early 1980s the group was sidelined with lineup difficulties; nonetheless, Benson pressed on with Asleep at the Wheel, keeping the band going through thick and thin, eventually settling down with Epic Records in the late ’80s and reviving the group’s fortunes with 1987′s Wheel 10, a major hit which featured the Grammy-winning single “Strong of Pars.”
In recent years Asleep at the Wheel has been going strong, winning a second Grammy in 1988 for the single “Sugarfoot Rag” and scoring another major hit in 1993 with A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, which featured cameos by Chet Atkins, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Brooks and Dunn and Garth Brooks. The group received an award in the category “Best Country Instrumental Performance” at the 42nd Annual Grammies for “Bob’s Breakdowns,” taken from their 1999 release Ride With Bob, a tribute to western swing pioneer Bob Wills. Since their beginning they have released over twenty albums, which have featured such guest artists Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Lyle Lovett, Huey Lewis, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, George Strait, Dwight Yoakam, Shawn Colvin, and many more.
Get your tickets now to see Asleep at the Wheel at the Riverwalk Center on Saturday, August 21st at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $23 in advance, $28 day of show and can be purchased by calling the Riverwalk Center Box Office at 970.547.3100. For a complete Breckenridge Music Festival schedule or to order tickets online Click Here
