Asleep at the Wheel rolls into the Criterion Theatre in Bar Harbor, ME on Wednesday, August 27—with special guest Jay Bragg. Don’t miss this one!
Doors: 6PM
Show: 7PM
Artist Presale: Tues, May 20 at 10 AM
On Sale: Fri, May 23 at 10AM
About Asleep at the Wheel --
Asleep at the Wheel
For over fifty years, Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson has been traversing the globe as an
ambassador of Western swing music and introducing its irresistible sound to generation after
generation. More than 100 musicians have passed through the Wheel, but Benson remains the
front man and the keeper of the vision, in the process racking up more than 30 albums, ten
Grammy awards and literally millions of miles on the road.
“I’m the reason it’s still together, but the reason it’s popular is because we’ve had the
greatest singers and players,” Benson explains. “When someone joins the band, I say,
‘Learn everything that’s ever been done, then put your own stamp on it.’ I love to hear
how they interpret what we do. I’m just a singer and a songwriter, and a pretty good
guitar player, but my best talent is convincing people to jump on board and play this
music.”
Asleep at the Wheel has collaborated on records with genre-spanning friends, including
Willie Nelson on 2009’s Grammy Nominated Willie and the Wheel and other critically
acclaimed artists, including Brad Paisley, Jamey Johnson, Merle Haggard, George Strait,
the Avett Brothers, Amos Lee, Old Crow Medicine Show and Lyle Lovett on Still the King,
their 2015 critically acclaimed and Grammy winning tribute to Bob Wills. On their latest
release, Half A Hundred Years, Asleep At The Wheel continued their contributions to the
American music landscape when three original members of Asleep at the Wheel—Chris
O’Connell, Leroy Preston, and Lucky Oceans—returned after 40 years to lend their voices
and musicianship to a number of tracks on the album along with Emmylou Harris, Lee Ann
Womack, George Strait, Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson.
Asleep at the Wheel represents an important cornerstone of American roots music,
even though some of its members and audiences represent a new generation. That
far-reaching appeal remains a testament to Benson’s initial vision.
“It took me 60 years, but I’m doing what I’m meant to do—singing and playing and
writing better than I ever have. A bandleader is just someone who gathers people
around them to play the best music they can play. I just try and make the best decisions
possible and kick some ass every night onstage.”
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