Following the release of Asleep at the Wheel's eleventh studio album Keepin' Me Up Nights in 1990, fiddler Larry Franklin was replaced by Ricky Turpin, who made his debut for the group on Live & Kickin' (Franklin featured as a guest). The album was the band's last to feature bassist Jon Mitchell, who was replaced by David Miller shortly after its release.
The album was Asleep at the Wheel's first release to feature fiddler Ricky Turpin, who was chosen by his predecessor Larry Franklin to take his place when he left the band.[6] It is also the last to feature bassist Jon Mitchell and the last to feature steel guitarist John Ely as an official member; within a few months of the album's release, the departed pair had been replaced by David Miller and Cindy Cashdollar, respectively.[7][8]
Former pianist Floyd Domino makes a guest appearance on the recording of "Jambalaya".
Reception
Reviewing the album for AllMusic, writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine submitted that "Greatest Hits... Live & Kickin' showcases Asleep at the Wheel running through their best-known material in a kinetic live setting. It's a great introduction to Asleep at the Wheel – they are never better than they are in concert, and the selection brings out the best in the musicians."[9] "Black and White Rag", issued as the B-side to "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66", was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards, three years after the studio version of the song's nomination for the same award.[10]
^Fell, Ron (February 7, 1992). "Biofeedback"(PDF). The Gavin Report. No. 1891. San Francisco, California: Gavin Report. p. 34. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
^Smith, Lisa; Hoelzle, Cyndi (April 24, 1992). "New Releases"(PDF). The Gavin Report. No. 1902. San Francisco, California: Gavin Report. p. 26. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
