Austin, Texas-based Asleep at the Wheel is a staple of the American roots music landscape, charting across four consecutive decades. Inspired by Western swing and honky-tonk country, over the years the band has accumulated 10 Grammy Awards and collaborations with the biggest icons of country music including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and the Dixie Chicks. The CU Symphony Orchestra joins Asleep at the Wheel to blend rich orchestral sounds with soulful Americana.
Asleep at the Wheel Music Group
Symphonic music and country and western swing may seem like unlikely bedfellows for fans of either genre, but according to Ray Benson, frontman of the world-renowned, Grammy Award-winning country group Asleep at the Wheel, the pairing of classical strings and honky-tonk twang isn’t a new combination. The band will join the CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra and College of Music students for an exceptional performance at Macky Auditorium on April 5.
Benson says the fusion of strings, guitars and country swagger will draw on a long-established musical partnership.
“We offer audiences a unique symphony show, in my opinion,” Benson said, adding that Asleep at the Wheel has played symphonic concerts across the United States since the early 2000s. “We play a genre of music called western swing which has roots in old-time fiddle music, country music, jazz, country and blues.”
“Theyʼd say, ‘Youʼre the only band that goes out on the road and does this old, cool music. ʼ Thatʼs when I knew it was more than just a living and that I was blessed with caretaking a form of music.” explains Ray Benson, Asleep at the Wheel founder and frontman.
“These are opportunities for our students to be on stage and to interact professionally with an award-winning touring band. That is unique and valuable,” according to Joan Braun, Executive Director of CU Presents and the College of Music’s Assistant Dean for Concerts and Communications. “Part of our mission is to bring artists to Boulder that audiences wouldn’t otherwise experience … It’s an opportunity to see a world-class act without going to New York or Los Angeles. You can see it right here at Macky Auditorium. That is a huge value.”
For more than 80 years, the Artist Series has brought the globe’s finest jazz, classical, world music and dance performers to Boulder. Many of these performances sell out; order your tickets today to guarantee the best seats.
Their performance is on April 5 at 7:30 pm in the Macky Auditorium at the Macky Auditorium Concert Hall, 1595 Pleasant St. in Boulder. Tickets range from $24 to $94. Purchase tickets online at https://tickets.cupresents.org/ or call 303-492-8008.