The Steel Guitar Forum

Got to see Asleep at the Wheel at the Silverton Hotel and Casino here in Las Vegas(sold out crowd) Saturday night - July 6th. One of the first things Ray Benson said when he came on stage was that regular steel player Jim Murphy was very sick again and back in Nashville (I believe he said Nashville) taking more chemo (our thoughts and prayers are with him). Apparently Jeremy Wakefield flew in from LA on 10 hours notice and filled in for the Vegas show. As always, the performance was wonderful, yet I noticed a couple of things that made a major difference in the sound - the absence of Michael Francis, the horn player and Cindy Cashdollar's steel and dobro left a large hole in ATTW sound that night. Jeremy did the best he could filling in on such short notice(played what looked like a Fender double-neck (might have been his Gibson - not sure) -on his lap-. But I have to say -(and in my humble opinion only - so please don't flame me) that I really miss the ATTW sound when Francis and Cashdollar were part of the band.

Hi Sunny Callen:

When AATW appeared in Grants Pass, Oregon last July 2001, Jeremy Wakefield was also sitting in with the group. I suspect that he has obtained enough experience playing with AATW at various times to feel comfortable with the gig and the group, even with only 10 hours notice.

Jeremy's style is different than Cindy Cashdollars or Jim Murphy, for that matter. And it's this difference that gives variety to a particular performance.

I would enjoy hearing AATW "without" a steel player because the group plays its music so well: balanced, organized, exciting, entertaining and with variety. (I wish I could say the same for the group I play music with.....but we're in a different league; it's called the minor league! )



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Regards,
Al Gershen
Grants Pass, Oregon. USA
Fender 1000 (1956),
Fender PS 210 (1971) &
Gibson Electraharp EH-820 (1960)
Al's Photos at http://www.alsphotographs.com

Like I said: IMHO only. . .