OXFORD: The Jericho Tavern

Saturday 2nd February, 2019

7:30pm

Event information

This is a unique opportunity to see an iconic musician on a very rare visit to the UK, in an intimate setting. The 6’7” Ray Benson has been the one constant in Asleep At the Wheel since the band’s founding in 1970 in Paw Paw, West Virginia. Since that time, 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 25 albums, nine Grammy awards and literally millions of miles on the road.

New Routes, the brand-new album by Asleep At the Wheel, marks both a new path forward and a nod to the freewheeling roots (get it?) of one of Texas’ most beloved bands. After a decade of collaborating on record with friends, including Willie Nelson on 2009’s Willie and the Wheel, and paying on-going tribute to the groundbreaking music of Western Swing pioneer Bob Wills; the Wheel is marking 2018 with their first album of new material in a decade.

With a fresh line-up, a bracing blend of original songs and vibrant cover material and some unanticipated new musical tangents, Asleep At the Wheel demonstrates convincingly it’s more relevant, enjoyable and musically nimble than any time in its 45-year history.

Katie Shore follows in the long tradition of strong and talented female performers who have been an integral part of the band’s identity for decades. From founding female vocalist Chris O’Connell to Mary Ann Price, Rosie Flores, Cindy Cashdollar, Elizabeth McQueen and Emily Gimble, women vocalists and musicians have shaped the band’s legacy.

Shore agrees. “I always wanted to be in Asleep At the Wheel,” she said. “If you grew up in Fort Worth and played the fiddle, it was impossible not to know who the Wheel was. I feel part of a legacy, for sure.”

56 Walton Street
Oxford
OX2 6AE

www.thejerichooxford.co.uk

01865311775