Soon a pearl grew. Five years, two CDs and several lineups later, the Western Box Turtles are sitting pretty as ever. And if the fad disappears, chances are the Turtles will still be at it, adding a little contemporary rhythmic kick to their love of that peculiar child of jazz and called western swing. They didn't climb aboard the bandwagon. In Milwaukee, they were probably the ones who hitched the horses.
Western swing seems a logical destination for the band's musicians.
Smith was looking for something more authentic than the urban cowboy tunes he performed with the Miller Brothers in the '70s. For years Hembree played that uncle of rock 'n' roll, bluegrass music, including a stint behind the music's father, Bill Monroe. Drummer Andy Pagel played rockabilly as part of the New York City scene that nutured the Stray Cats. Guitarist Steve Hajduch played bluegrass with Pickaway. Steel guitarist and tenor saxophonist Eddie Rivers, a veteran of the Commander Cody-influenced Radio Flyer, is credited by Smith and Hembree with being the last, crucial piece of the puzzle.