CANTON — Perhaps Christian Parker was destined at birth to reimagine the 1968 classic album, “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” by The Byrds. But if not, it definitely sounds like it.
Today’s best known band playing Western swing comes from an unlikely source – West Virginia. Since 1969 Asleep at the Wheel has both preserved and advanced this nearly forgotten subgenre of country music through their tributes to previous generations of musicians as well as their own innovations that keep the music in the present.
Initially playing straight country, the band switched to Western swing after hearing Merle Haggards’ A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World. They soon had a regular gig in Berkeley, WV and would be called on to open rock shows in the DC area.