Asleep at the Wheel, Leon Rausch
“Truck Driver’s Blues (feat. Willie Nelson)” (mp3)
from “It’s a Good Day”
(Bismeaux Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album
Asleep at the Wheel are a group of musicians who have single-handedly kept the timeless and spirited genre of swing-country alive for the past 40 years. Anyone with a proper knowledge of country music’s last few decades would enthusiastically praise this six-piece’s talent, and that’s before mentioning their nine (nine!!) Grammy Awards. Comprised of some of country’s finest musicians, The Wheel have built themselves a legacy of fantastic work and continue to impress, never ceasing to make new music and tour.
Fronted by Ray Bensen, the band is comprised of six other top notch singer-musicians who rotate on vocal duty and harmony. On their newest album, It’s a Good Day, they teamed up with legendary vocalist Leon Rausch, who was one of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboy vocalists. He joined Wills in the late 50′s and his stellar vocal stylings were on par with the greats that preceded him, such as Tommy Duncan, Joe Frank Ferguson and Rusty MacDonald. Rausch has known The Wheel for over 38 years: when they first met in the early 70′s, Leon would sit in with the group. More importantly, at jam sessions he helped teach The Wheel the right way to play this great music. Rausch’s most infamous contribution is his arrangement of their famous version of “Get Your Kicks (on Route 66),” the band’s most popular song. He suggested to Floyd Domino that they take the venerable standard and put a signature boogie-woogie beat to the song.
Leon is 82 years old now but still sports a great voice and sings regularly at western swing events all over Texas, Oklahoma and the world. The song selections for this recording range from Bob Wills classics to Count Basie tunes and jazz standards. The title track is a swingin’ version of Peggy Lee’s famous pop hit (with the Wheel’s signature country twist of course) and throughout the album, Leon shares duets with the band members, as well as the legendary Willie Nelson (with whom the Wheel did their previous record)!
This is some fantastic country music folks; you just can’t find tunes done this well anymore. Be sure to check out It’s a Good Day and hear what 40+ years of experience sounds like!
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Tags: Asleep at the Wheel, leon rausch, rounder records, Willie Nelson
