Show More▼Show Less▲

Asleep at the Wheel

Asleep at the Wheel Radio

Music

FEATURED SONG

Play
Play Next
Add to queue

It's a Good Day (feat. Ray Benson and Jason Roberts)

Album:

Released: Jul 20, 2010

Label:

1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
It's a Good Day (feat. Ray Benson and Jason Roberts)
2:57
3,048 plays
1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
Truck Driver's Blues (w/ Willie Nelson)
4:30
4,978 plays
1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
Hesitation Blues
2:48
30,962 plays
1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
Oh! You Pretty Woman
2:50
14,914 plays
1. Play
2. Play Next
3. Add to queue
Bring It On Down To My House
2:50
13,252 plays

Total Plays: 585,165 / Plays Today: 32See All Featured ►

Tour Schedule

Latest Blog Entries

Oct 11, 2011 1:59 PM A Ride With Bob: The Bob Wills Musical (2011 Tour Dates)
Feb 16, 2011 6:45 PM Ray Benson Will be Featured in the Upcoming Film "When Angels Sing"
Jan 19, 2011 10:07 PM VOTE for AATW in the 2011 Austin Chronicle Music Poll
Nov 29, 2010 6:46 PM Live Performance on KUT
Nov 17, 2010 4:59 PM Ray, Jason and Eddie Perform on Broadway

Stream

Yesterday

Asleep at the Wheel

The poster from last nights great show in Durham, NC! http://t.co/uPMMqziSz1

via Twitter
- LikeYou liked this Unlike
- ·
- Comment
- ·
- Share
- Post a comment...
3 days ago

Asleep at the Wheel

Right before we went onstage last night at Infinity Hall... http://t.co/4nQC4vf9ZU

via Twitter
- LikeYou liked this Unlike
- ·
- Comment
- ·
- Share
- Post a comment...
4 days ago

Asleep at the Wheel

Me and Willie http://t.co/UDz98T3JdN

via Twitter
- LikeYou liked this Unlike
- ·
- Comment
- ·
- Share
- Post a comment...
May 09

Asleep at the Wheel

Gettin' deals done at the airport! Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) signs Ray Benson at (Asleep At The Wheel Roadhouse)! http://t.co/5yQka0eJPk

via Twitter
- LikeYou liked this Unlike
- ·
- Comment
- ·
- Share
- Post a comment...
May 07

Asleep at the Wheel

Great interview with Ray Benson about the history of Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) and the band's... http://t.co/9lbDiHjeYW

via Twitter
- LikeYou liked this Unlike
- ·
- Comment
- ·
- Share
- Post a comment...

General Info

Genre: Americana / Country / Western Swing
Location AUSTIN, Texas, Un
Profile Views: 601027
Last Login: 2/1/2012
Member Since 10/12/2005
Website http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmFzbGVlcGF0dGhld2hlZWwuY29t
Record Label Bismeaux Records
Type of Label Indie
Bio
Asleep at the Wheel has seen miles and miles of Texas. They got their kicks on Route 66. And, in 2010, the band clicked another milestone on the odometer – their 40th anniversary. Now in their 41st year, the band continues to introduce the western swing genre to a new generation on tour and takes audiences on the ride of a lifetime with their play, "A Ride with Bob." "It's been an amazing ride. From Paw Paw to San Francisco to Austin, we've seen it all," says Wheel front man Ray Benson. "But, rest assured, there is still so many exciting projects in the works. The Wheel keeps rolling!" The Wheel Gets Rolling "there's some relatively unknown group around that I really dig. Asleep at the Wheel plays great country music." Van Morrison Rolling Stone Interview (1973) It all started when Ray Benson, Floyd Domino, and Lucky Oceans, along with a Vermont farm boy named Leroy Preston; Virginian Chris O'Connell; and Gene Dobkin, a bass player and fellow classmate of Benson's from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, joined forces. They began with a simple goal: to play and help revive American roots music. Asleep at the Wheel landed a gig opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna in Washington, DC in 1970. At the height of Vietnam, many Americans were using their choice of music to express their stance on the conflict in southeast Asia. "We wanted to break that mold," said Benson. "We were concerned more with this amazing roots music, which we felt was being lost amid the politics. We were too country for the rock folks and we were too long-haired for the country folks. But everybody got over it once the music started playing." A year later, they were coaxed into moving to California by Commander Cody, leader of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen. But, the band's big break came when Van Morrison mentioned them in an interview with Rolling Stone. The record offers started coming in and The Wheel got rolling. 80+ But Who's Counting? "We're a dance band. That's what we're about. And that's plenty." Ray Benson The musicianship of Asleep at the Wheel has become the stuff of legends. Reuter's pegged The Wheel as "one of the best live acts in the business." Taking a page from Bob Wills' book, the band has constantly toured at a national level throughout its history; with anywhere from 7-15 of the finest players Ray Benson could talk into jumping in the bus to play a string of dates. The alumni roster is well over 80+ members, and includes an impressive list of musicians who have gone on to perform with artists such as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Lyle Lovett, Ryan Adams, and many more. A quick scan of awards, such as "Touring Band of the Year" (CMAs, 1976) and "Lifetime Achievement in Performance" (Americana Music Awards 2009), not to mention near dominance of the GRAMMY "Country Instrumental" category over the years, reflects the reputation of the band's musicianship. Ray Benson fell in love with western swing because of its unique combination of elements of American blues, swing and traditional fiddling but also for its demanding musical chops. Western swing is what Benson calls "jazz with a cowboy hat," is a thrill to hear live, and thanks in large part to the Wheel's 40 years of promotion, is a living and creative genre of music today. On the Records "Everything this act has ever released is simply spectacular." Billboard Magazine (2010) Over their history, Asleep at The Wheel has garnered nine GRAMMY Awards and released more than 25 studio and live albums, and there is no sign of slowing down any time soon. Just last year they earned a Grammy nomination in the newly minted Best Americana Album category for their critically acclaimed Willie & The Wheel, on Bismeaux Records. Most recently, another collaborative project paired the band with the legendary lead from Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys, Leon Rausch. The distinguished velvety vocals that voiced the King of western swing partnered with "post-modern kings of Texas Swing" on It's A Good Day, which USA Today called, "swing from the heavens." It was Leon who first suggested to Ray in the 1970's that The Wheel record Get Your Kicks (on Route 66). The Wheel has now recorded the hit 4 times in 4 different decades, with this latest version featuring Leon. The Play is The Thing "The most entertaining night in Texas." -Liz Smith The Broadway-scale musical that started as a commemoration of Bob Will's 100th birthday in 2005 now marks its own milestone in 2010; 5 years. Ray Benson and Ann Rapp co-wrote the first-ever musical drama about Benson's idol, entitled "A Ride with Bob: The Bob Wills Musical." At the core of the story is the conversation Ray intended to have when he was invited to meet with Wills in 1974, fresh off the Wheel's release of "Take Me Back to Tulsa." Unfortunately, that meeting never happened as Mr. Wills took ill and never recovered. For the last five years, the play has presented an inspired look into the life, loves and music of the colorful Bob Wills in performances across Texas and from San Francisco to Washington DC. Immediately embraced by western swing fans, this unique presentation has achieved cult-status amongst fans who can't get enough. This year "A Ride with Bob" continued its tour with performances in Abilene, Richardson and in Austin, September 17 and 18 at the Long Center. True to Asleep at the Wheel's original vision, the play isn't just appealing to core fans. A 2007 interview with The New York Times noted, "the play had another advantage. 'We were reaching a completely new audience,' Mr. Benson said — theatergoers who might never set foot in a beer joint, or even in a cowboy boot." From Dance Halls to Concert Halls "A Swinging Symphony" -Fort Worth Star Telegram Any band that spends upwards of 250 days on the road each year is more than likely to have seen its fair share of dives, gin joints, biker bars, clubs, auditoriums, dance halls and the like. The Wheel is no exception. Another place Wheel fans have more recently discovered the music has been in symphony halls. Originally debuted in collaboration with the Austin Symphony, the Wheel has since gone on to present their pops program in select performances across the country, and even released a CD in 2006 of their performance with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Throughout their four decades the Wheel has driven the genre to the edge, explored new territories, picked up new passengers along the way and crisscrossed the country to the delight of fans and critics alike. And, even though they're doing "forty," there's no chance of slowing down now.
Members
Ray Benson, Jason Roberts, Eddie Rivers, David Miller, David Sanger, Elizabeth McQueen, Dan Walton
Influences
Texas, Bob Wills, The Texas Playboys, Count Basie, Louis Jordan, Jazz, Blues, Folk, Swing, The Road
Sounds Like
Western Swing, Dance Music, Jazz with a cowboy hat, Texas

More ▼Less ▲

Videos

Oops! In order to view this, you will need to enable JavaScript and install Adobe Flash 10 or greater. Get Flash now!

Hesitation Blues (feat. Willie Nelson)

03:09 | 491 plays | Feb 1 2012

Photos

Comments

Top Friends (40)

Email Signup

Info

willie nelson,asleep at the wheel,leon rausch,austin,texas

It’s a match made in western swing heaven as the last of the great Texas Playboys, vocalist Leon Rausch joins Ray Benson and his team of musicians for some hot playing and some smooth singing. This is jazz with a cowboy hat!

1. It’s a Good Day (feat. Ray Benson and Jason Roberts) (2:55)

2. Truck Driver’s Blues (feat. Willie Nelson) (4:28)

3. Alright, Okay, You Win (feat. Elizabeth McQueen) (3:56)

4. Rosetta (4:25)

5. Basin Street Blues (feat. Ray Benson) (3:32)

6. I Didn’t Realize (3:12)

7. Mean Woman With The Green Eyes (3:26)

8. Sugar Moon (3:37)

9. Cotton Patch Blues (3:14)

10. Snap Your Fingers (3:14)

11. Get Your Kicks (On Route 66) (feat. Ray Benson, Jason Roberts and Elizabeth McQueen) (3:20)

12. Osage Stomp (feat. Jason Roberts, Eddie Rivers, Ray Benson, Dan Walton, Jim Cullum, Jonathan Doyle, Randy Zimmerman) (2:34)

Produced by Ray Benson

Dallas Morning News: Grade A "What's not to like? Here's further proof that down in Austin, Benson keeps Wills' legacy spit-polished."

Austin American-Statesman: Grade B+ "...an upbeat, tip-of-the-Stetson salute from one era of innovators to the next."

USA Today Review (3 Stars) SWING FROM THE HEAVENS
Given the tight, select world of Texas swing, it's surprising that Ray Benson's prolific Wheelers had never recorded with Rausch, who joined Bob Wills' Texas Playboys as a vocalist in 1958. Rausch is credited with arranging the Wheel's signature song, Get Your Kicks (on Route 66), reprised here, and still possesses a sturdy voice at 83. He gets impeccable support from his hosts, and from Willie Nelson, who does a workmanlike turn on Truck Driver's Blues.
— Jerry Shriver

Be our friend on Facebook!

Members:

Ray Benson - Lead and Vocals
Jason Roberts - Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin and Vocals
Eddie Rivers - Steel Guitar and Sax
David Miller - Bass and Vocals
David Sanger - Drums
Elizabeth McQueen - Guitar and Vocals
Dan Walton - Piano

Click on the banner below to go to our official AATW store!

View Asleep at the Wheel's EPK

Influences:

Texas, Bob Wills, The Texas Playboys, Count Basie, Jazz, Blues, Folk, Swing, The Road

Check out our new release!
It's A Good Day

Willie and The Wheel

Asleep at the Wheel - Live in Austin - EP

Asleep at the Wheel with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Reinventing the Wheel

Santa Loves to Boogie

The Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel

Bio

Members

Influences

Sounds Like

Members:

Click on the banner below to go to our official AATW store!

Influences:

Login