The Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College

welcomes the return of Asleep at the Wheel, Aug. 18

             DURANGO, Colo. – Asleep at the Wheel, the Grammy-awarding winning band revered for sustaining Texas-based Western Swing, returns to the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The “Wheel” is celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2010, and with the new tour, is showcasing the music of “It’s A Good Day,” just released on July 20, 2010.

            Since the early ‘70s, the Wheel has been the most important force in Western swing – a mix of big band, country and dance music popularized in the 1930s and 1940s by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. Formed out of reverence for Wills’ freewheeling, eclectic sensibility, Asleep at the Wheel and founder Ray Benson are said to have boldly defied the fickle lures of mainstream – and thrived – by keeping the distinctly American art form of Western Swing alive and kicking.

           Typically featuring 8-11 musicians, the group has gone through myriad personnel changes (nearly 100 members have passed through the ranks), but the larger-than-life, 6'7" frontman Ray Benson has held the band together, keeping Asleep at the Wheel a viable recording and touring concern, maintaining devotion to classic-style Western swing.

   The nine-time Grammy award winning band has also been named “Best Country & Western Band” by Rolling Stone, as well as “Touring Band of the Year” by the Academy of Country Music.

            Regarding the new release “It’s A Good Day,” which features Leon Rausch (82) who performed with Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News writes, “The musicianship is stellar… expertly produced by the Wheel’s unflappable leader, Ray Benson… What’s not to like? Here’s further proof that down in Austin, Benson keeps Wills’ legacy spit-polished.”

The band’s name is derived from the expression “asleep at the wheel” referencing falling asleep while driving a vehicle – or someone who is blissfully unaware of a dangerous situation.

Listen to samples of the Wheel’s music at www.myspace.com/asleepatthewheel.

Tickets for Asleep at the Wheel - $25 for Balcony and Orchestra and $30 for Plaza – are available on the web at www.durangoconcerts.com or by calling 970.247.7657, or visit the ticket office at 7^th and Main Ave. in Downtown Durango.

 Showtime is 7:30 p.m., with doors to the Concert Hall and concessions, serving beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, opening at 6:30 p.m.

The Community Concert Hall is located in the arts complex of Fort Lewis College.  It operates through a partnership with the college, a state-supported, independent institution of higher education, as well as the city of Durango, and with financial and in-kind contributions from generous members of the community.