An elated man hailed me on Broadway Boulevard following Asleep at the Wheel’s sensational performance at Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Saturday, October 30. “What a concert!” he exclaimed. “Country music!” While I shared his enthusiasm, I questioned the categorization.
Asleep at the Wheel is a country band like the Alamo is a stone building. The inadequate characterization doesn’t recognize the band’s historical importance, cultural significance or stylistic breadth.
Formed in West Virginia in 1970 and relocated to Texas in 1974, the band is belatedly marking its fiftieth anniversary with a two-leg reunion tour in support of the star-studded Half a Hundred Years album. Asleep at the Wheel alumni Floyd Domino, Chris O’Connell and LeRoy Preston joined the current eight-piece group at the shockingly vital two-hour Kansas City show.
Although the audience of about 1,000 heard a generous batch of songs associated with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Asleep at the Wheel is far more than a tribute band dedicated to Western swing.
The setlist included selections by the Kansas City icon Count Basie, the proto-rocker Louis Jordan, the Texas troubadour Guy Clark and the R&B artist Toussaint McCall. Renderings of Preston compositions including the 1975 novelty hit “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read,” the wry “Dead Man” and the rip-roaring “My Baby Thinks She’s a Train” were also highlights.
Dual fiddlers and the impeccably impressionistic steel guitar of Cindy Cashdollar were anchored by a hard-swinging rhythm section bound to mainstream jazz. Floyd Domino channeled Kansas City pianist Pete Johnson while bandleader Ray Benson played Chuck Berry-esque guitar.
The stylistic range made the reconvened ensemble seem absolutely essential. In fact, Asleep at the Wheel possesses almost all the attributes aficionados of the Grateful Dead erroneously claim for their favorite group. Persuasive interpretations of vintage songs and original material made a convincing case for Asleep at the Wheel as the quintessential American roots band.
Original images by There Stands the Glass.