Sat 3/21 @ 8PM
Asleep at the Wheel founder/frontman Ray Benson has racked up a lot of miles since founding the band in 1969.
In that time, they’ve gone through three hometowns, a half dozen record labels, dozens of albums and scores of members. In the process they’ve won nine Grammys and even had a smattering of minor chart hits.
But this band was always out of step with popular music trends. Their music style is Western swing, an offshoot of old-style country and the popular swing/dance music of the ’30s and ’40s, a style that was distinctly oddball even in the eclectic early ’70s. But they’ve managed to attract a small but loyal following attracted to the exuberance of that style as well as the band’s high level of musicianship.
Benson’s dedication to the band, to Western swing and to the road keeps him coming back year after year. He’ll be bringing the band back to the Kent Stage with the Quebe Sisters — three young Texas women who play fiddles and harmonize on swing, country, bluegrass and jazz standards — opening.
Tickets are $36-$46.
thekentstage.com/asleep-wheel/
Kent, OH 44240