Asleep at the Wheel
Encyclopedia
Asleep at the Wheel is a American country music
group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia
, but based in Austin, Texas
. Altogether, they have won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception. In their career, they have released more than twenty studio albums, and have charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard country charts. Their highest-charting single, "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
", peaked at No. 10 in 1975.
and Lucky Oceans
(Reuben Gosfield) co-founded Asleep at the Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and soon after they found themselves opening for Alice Cooper
and Hot Tuna
in Washington, DC. A year later, they moved to East Oakland, California at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
. After being mentioned in Rolling Stone
magazine by Van Morrison
, they landed a record deal with United Artists
. In 1973, their debut album, Comin' Right At Ya was released by United Artists. At the request of Willie Nelson
, they left Oakland for Austin in 1974.
's "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
", which was their first single to hit the country charts. The following year saw the release of Texas Gold as the group's third album with the top-ten Country hit single "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
". In addition, they played on PBS's Austin City Limits
, where they have since performed a record-setting ten times. In 1977, the band was voted Best Country Western Band by Rolling Stone Magazine and was awarded the Touring Band of the Year by the Academy of Country Music
. They also went on tour with Emmylou Harris
in Europe. The following year, they made a cover of Count Basie
's song "One O'Clock Jump
". Also in 1980, they appeared in the movie Roadie, along with Meat Loaf
, Blondie
and Art Carney
. By the end of the decade, the band recorded their first live album Served Live at the Austin Opera House.
, co-founder Lucky Oceans
left the band, and Chris O'Connell
left in September 1986 due to her pregnancy. Asleep at the Wheel gathered a large amount of debt that required them to work on commercials
and movie soundtracks. This band produced the soundtrack for the film Liar's Moon
.
In 1985 the band released a virtually ignored self-titled album. By the late 1980s, Ray Benson had done some producing, allowing the band a second chance with Epic Records
. In 1987, the band released 10, which won them their second Grammy for Best Country Instrumental helping to launch their comeback. The album also had contributions from legendary fiddle player and onetime Texas Playboys member Johnny Gimble
. The following year, the band released Western Standard Time, which won them another Grammy for Best Country Instrumental. The late 1980s also saw the growth of Jann Browne
as a solo vocalist in the group; she would later embark on a solo career on Curb Records
.
and released the album, Keepin' Me Up Nights. Soon after, the band saw turnover as old members left and new members entered. In 1991, Ray Benson directed the music and co-starred in the movie Wild Texas Wind
with Dolly Parton
. In honor of the 66th anniversary of Route 66
, the band launched the Route 66 Tour. In 1993, the band released the instant hit A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys to much critical acclaim with several guest musicians. Two years later, the band celebrated their 25th anniversary by releasing The Wheel Keeps on Rollin. In 1999, the band and Dreamworks
released Ride with Bob, as their second tribute album to Bob Wills
. This album became an instant hit and garnered the band two Grammy wins, one for Best Country Instrumental, and the other for Best Package Design.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, Ray Benson "didn't just enlist the obvious Wills fans" in this tribute album to Bob Wills like Merle Haggard
, Willie Nelson
and Lyle Lovett
. He also brought in some of country's young lions the Dixie Chicks
, Tim McGraw
and Lee Ann Womack
, some pop stars", including Shawn Colvin
, the Squirrel Nut Zippers
and fellow country preservationists such as Dwight Yoakam
.
were nominated for an Award for Vocal Event of the Year for "Roly Poly
" with Asleep at the Wheel from the Country Music Association. That same year, the band toured with Bob Dylan
and George Strait
. Benson brought together some of the best talent in country music today to record the tribute to Wills and Texas swing music, including Dwight Yoakam
, Vince Gill
, Merle Haggard
, the Dixie Chicks
, and Willie Nelson. They were scheduled to play at the White House on the fateful September 11, 2001. In 2003, the band released Live at Billy Bob's Texas, and by the end of the decade the band had released 2 more albums: Reinventing the Wheel, an entirely new set of songs, including a collaboration with The Blind Boys of Alabama
; and a two disc set Kings of Texas Swing. In 2007, their second Christmas album was released, Santa Loves to Boogie.
Asleep at the Wheel received 6 Austin Music Awards for their efforts in 2007 including Band of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (Benson), Country Band of the Year, Record Producer of the Year (Benson), Male Vocals of the Year (Benson) and Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year (McQueen).
"The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" is played on the K-Rose radio station in GTA San Andreas. This created a revival for the song in younger generations.
' birth (March 6, 1905, in Kosse, Texas) approached, friends suggested that Benson and his Asleep at the Wheel band do something to mark the occasion.
"Some folks wanted another tribute album," Benson said. "But we'd already done two. I felt like we'd be cashing in on Bob's ghost."
Benson was kicking around ideas with writer friend Anne Rapp
, a West Texas native who had written scripts for two of director Robert Altman's films. She asked Benson whether he'd ever met Wills. Benson said that he had, but never got to talk to him. "That's it: The conversation you never had," Rapp said.
In the musical, Benson, playing himself, boards a tour bus for a gig in Tulsa. The mysterious driver turns out to be the spirit of Wills (Austin actor Marco Perella). Benson is taken on a tour of Wills' life, told in an uncomplicated "and-then" fashion. There are over 20 actors and musical numbers performed. Members of The Wheel play the musicians, with fiddler Jason Roberts as Wills, and actors play various characters from Wills' life, including his five wives, former Texas Gov. W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel (Steve Uzzell, who also memorably plays a flamboyant Hollywood director) and a black man whose music inspired Wills (Timothy Curry).
A Ride With Bob premiered in the spring of 2005 in Austin, TX to four sold-out shows. It has been performed all across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. It has also been performed in San Francisco, as well as in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center where two unexpected guests were President George W. Bush
and First Lady
Laura Bush
.
The play has been called "the most entertaining night in Texas" by Liz Smith
from the New York Post
.
. The long-overdue concept album, originally suggested by producer Jerry Wexler
, teamed Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel on several well-known Western Swing selections. Paul Shaffer
and Vince Gill
also perform on the album. Willie and the Wheel was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia
Paw Paw, West Virginia
Paw Paw is a town in Morgan County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 524 at the 2000 census. The town is known for the nearby Paw Paw Tunnel. Paw Paw was incorporated by the Circuit Court of Morgan County on April 8, 1891 and named for the pawpaw, a wild fruit which formerly grew in...
, but based in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Altogether, they have won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception. In their career, they have released more than twenty studio albums, and have charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard country charts. Their highest-charting single, "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
" Letter That Johnny Walker Read" is the title of song written and recorded by the American country music band Asleep at the Wheel. It was released in August 1975 as the lead single from their album Texas Gold. The song's title is a reference to the Johnnie Walker "Red Label" Scotch whisky...
", peaked at No. 10 in 1975.
Beginnings to Austin
In 1969, Ray BensonRay Benson
Ray Benson is the front man of the Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel.In 1970, Benson, a Jewish native of Philadelphia, formed Asleep at the Wheel with friends Lucky Oceans and Leroy Preston. The group relocated to Austin in 1973 after a suggestion from Willie Nelson .Since then, the group has...
and Lucky Oceans
Lucky Oceans
Lucky Oceans is a pedal steel guitarist and a former member of Country/Western Swing band Asleep at the Wheel. He is now a broadcaster in Perth, Western Australia with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
(Reuben Gosfield) co-founded Asleep at the Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and soon after they found themselves opening for Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
and Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
in Washington, DC. A year later, they moved to East Oakland, California at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen is an American country rock band founded in 1967. Core members included founder George Frayne, John Tichy, Billy C. Farlow, Bill Kirchen, Andy Stein, Paul "Buffalo" Bruce Barlow, Lance Dickerson, and Bobby Black....
. After being mentioned in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine by Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, they landed a record deal with United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. In 1973, their debut album, Comin' Right At Ya was released by United Artists. At the request of Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, they left Oakland for Austin in 1974.
1974 – 1979
In 1974, they released their second album, Asleep at the Wheel with a cover of Louis JordanLouis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...
's "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" is a popular song first recorded in January 1946 by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five. It topped the R&B charts for 18 weeks from August 1946, a record only equalled by one other hit, "The Honeydripper"...
", which was their first single to hit the country charts. The following year saw the release of Texas Gold as the group's third album with the top-ten Country hit single "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
" Letter That Johnny Walker Read" is the title of song written and recorded by the American country music band Asleep at the Wheel. It was released in August 1975 as the lead single from their album Texas Gold. The song's title is a reference to the Johnnie Walker "Red Label" Scotch whisky...
". In addition, they played on PBS's Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits is an American public television music program recorded live in Austin, Texas by Public Broadcasting Service Public television member station KLRU, and broadcast on many PBS stations around the United States...
, where they have since performed a record-setting ten times. In 1977, the band was voted Best Country Western Band by Rolling Stone Magazine and was awarded the Touring Band of the Year by the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
. They also went on tour with Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
in Europe. The following year, they made a cover of Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
's song "One O'Clock Jump
One O'Clock Jump
"One O'Clock Jump" is a jazz standard, a 12-bar blues instrumental, written in 1937 by Count Basie, with arrangement from Eddie Durham and Buster Smith. The original recording of the tune by Basie and his band is noted for the saxophone work of Herschel Evans and Lester Young; trumpeting by Buck...
". Also in 1980, they appeared in the movie Roadie, along with Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
and Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
. By the end of the decade, the band recorded their first live album Served Live at the Austin Opera House.
1980 – 1989
The 1980s became a turbulent decade for the band. After moving to MCAMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, co-founder Lucky Oceans
Lucky Oceans
Lucky Oceans is a pedal steel guitarist and a former member of Country/Western Swing band Asleep at the Wheel. He is now a broadcaster in Perth, Western Australia with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
left the band, and Chris O'Connell
Chris O'Connell
Christine "Chris" O’Connell from Limerick was the 12th president of the Camogie Association.-Background:Chris was described in the history of camogie in Limerick as " a member of the well known Limerick city GAA family that served St Patrick's club and the City Board." With her sister Phila she...
left in September 1986 due to her pregnancy. Asleep at the Wheel gathered a large amount of debt that required them to work on commercials
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
and movie soundtracks. This band produced the soundtrack for the film Liar's Moon
Liar's Moon
Liar's Moon is a 1982 film directed by David Andrew Fisher and starring Matt Dillon, Cindy Fisher, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Hoyt Axton.-Synopsis:...
.
In 1985 the band released a virtually ignored self-titled album. By the late 1980s, Ray Benson had done some producing, allowing the band a second chance with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. In 1987, the band released 10, which won them their second Grammy for Best Country Instrumental helping to launch their comeback. The album also had contributions from legendary fiddle player and onetime Texas Playboys member Johnny Gimble
Johnny Gimble
John Paul Gimble , better known as Johnny Gimble, is an American country musician associated with Western swing. He is an award-winning fiddle player and considered one of the most impressive fiddlers in the genre's history....
. The following year, the band released Western Standard Time, which won them another Grammy for Best Country Instrumental. The late 1980s also saw the growth of Jann Browne
Jann Browne
Jann Browne is an American country singer. Before her solo career, she was a vocalist with the Western swing group Asleep at the Wheel. She has recorded four studio albums, and has charted three singles on the Hot Country Songs charts. Her highest single is 1990's "Tell Me Why" at...
as a solo vocalist in the group; she would later embark on a solo career on Curb Records
Curb Records
Curb Records is a record label started by Mike Curb originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963...
.
1990 – 1999
The band moved to Arista RecordsArista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
and released the album, Keepin' Me Up Nights. Soon after, the band saw turnover as old members left and new members entered. In 1991, Ray Benson directed the music and co-starred in the movie Wild Texas Wind
Wild Texas Wind
Wild Texas Wind is an 1991 American made-for-television drama film distributed by Sandollar Productions, directed by Joan Tewkesbury and starring Dolly Parton, Gary Busey, and Ray Benson...
with Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
. In honor of the 66th anniversary of Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
, the band launched the Route 66 Tour. In 1993, the band released the instant hit A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys to much critical acclaim with several guest musicians. Two years later, the band celebrated their 25th anniversary by releasing The Wheel Keeps on Rollin. In 1999, the band and Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
released Ride with Bob, as their second tribute album to Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
. This album became an instant hit and garnered the band two Grammy wins, one for Best Country Instrumental, and the other for Best Package Design.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, Ray Benson "didn't just enlist the obvious Wills fans" in this tribute album to Bob Wills like Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
and Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
. He also brought in some of country's young lions the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
, Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
and Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
, some pop stars", including Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age...
, the Squirrel Nut Zippers
Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
and fellow country preservationists such as Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...
.
2000 and onward
In 2000, the Dixie ChicksDixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
were nominated for an Award for Vocal Event of the Year for "Roly Poly
Roly Poly (song)
"Roly Poly" is a humorous Western swing standard written by Fred Rose in 1946. In the song, Roly Poly is a very active boy who eats continuously to keep his strength up. Each verse ends with:"Roly Poly" was first recorded by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys in 1946, staying on the charts for 18...
" with Asleep at the Wheel from the Country Music Association. That same year, the band toured with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
. Benson brought together some of the best talent in country music today to record the tribute to Wills and Texas swing music, including Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...
, Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
, Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
, and Willie Nelson. They were scheduled to play at the White House on the fateful September 11, 2001. In 2003, the band released Live at Billy Bob's Texas, and by the end of the decade the band had released 2 more albums: Reinventing the Wheel, an entirely new set of songs, including a collaboration with The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind at Talladega, Alabama in 1939. The three main vocalists of the group and their drummer/percussionist are all blind....
; and a two disc set Kings of Texas Swing. In 2007, their second Christmas album was released, Santa Loves to Boogie.
Asleep at the Wheel received 6 Austin Music Awards for their efforts in 2007 including Band of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (Benson), Country Band of the Year, Record Producer of the Year (Benson), Male Vocals of the Year (Benson) and Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year (McQueen).
"The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" is played on the K-Rose radio station in GTA San Andreas. This created a revival for the song in younger generations.
A Ride With Bob
As the 100th anniversary of Bob WillsBob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
' birth (March 6, 1905, in Kosse, Texas) approached, friends suggested that Benson and his Asleep at the Wheel band do something to mark the occasion.
"Some folks wanted another tribute album," Benson said. "But we'd already done two. I felt like we'd be cashing in on Bob's ghost."
Benson was kicking around ideas with writer friend Anne Rapp
Anne Rapp
Anne Rapp is a script supervisor and screenwriter in the American film industry. She has worked on more than 50 feature films since 1981. Her work with Robert Altman in 1999 on the film "Cookie's Fortune" led to her nomination for an Independent Spirit Award and an Edgar Allan Poe Award.-...
, a West Texas native who had written scripts for two of director Robert Altman's films. She asked Benson whether he'd ever met Wills. Benson said that he had, but never got to talk to him. "That's it: The conversation you never had," Rapp said.
In the musical, Benson, playing himself, boards a tour bus for a gig in Tulsa. The mysterious driver turns out to be the spirit of Wills (Austin actor Marco Perella). Benson is taken on a tour of Wills' life, told in an uncomplicated "and-then" fashion. There are over 20 actors and musical numbers performed. Members of The Wheel play the musicians, with fiddler Jason Roberts as Wills, and actors play various characters from Wills' life, including his five wives, former Texas Gov. W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel (Steve Uzzell, who also memorably plays a flamboyant Hollywood director) and a black man whose music inspired Wills (Timothy Curry).
A Ride With Bob premiered in the spring of 2005 in Austin, TX to four sold-out shows. It has been performed all across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. It has also been performed in San Francisco, as well as in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center where two unexpected guests were President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
.
The play has been called "the most entertaining night in Texas" by Liz Smith
Liz Smith (journalist)
Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Smith is an American gossip columnist. She is known as The Grand Dame of Dish.- Early life and career :...
from the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
.
Willie and the Wheel
In February 2009, Ray Benson collaborated with Willie Nelson to release Willie and the WheelWillie and the Wheel
Willie and the Wheel is an album from American country music artists Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel. This album was released on February 3, 2009, on the Bismeaux Records label and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album....
. The long-overdue concept album, originally suggested by producer Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
, teamed Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel on several well-known Western Swing selections. Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
and Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
also perform on the album. Willie and the Wheel was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.
Awards
Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel have been presented numerous awards throughout their career. Most recently, the 16th Annual Midsouth Regional Emmy Award for the making of "A Ride With Bob", recognition by Mayor Kirk Watson of Austin, Texas, and the Darrel K. Royal Music Patron Award by The Texas Heritage Songwriters' Association. In 2007, The Austin Chronicle recognized Asleep at the Wheel for Band of the Year, Best Country Band, and into their Hall of Fame. Benson was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2002, was given The Texas Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, and recognized as an Outstanding Producer by the National Academy of Recording Arts in 1988. He has also been given numerous Citations of Achievement by Broadcast Music, Inc. for his work in the country music field. Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel have been one of the strongest names in Country Music for the last forty years.Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1973 | Comin' Right at Ya | — | — | — | EMI |
| 1974 | Asleep at the Wheel | — | — | — | Epic |
| 1975 | Fathers & Sons [1 Side] | — | — | — | |
| Texas Gold | 7 | 136 | — | Capitol | |
| 1976 | Wheelin' & Dealin | 19 | 179 | — | |
| 1977 | The Wheel | 31 | 162 | — | |
| 1978 | Collision Course | 47 | — | 19 | |
| 1979 | Served Live | — | — | — | |
| 1980 | Framed | — | 191 | — | MCA |
| 1985 | Asleep at the Wheel [1985] | — | — | — | |
| 1987 | 10 | 16 | — | — | Epic |
| 1988 | Western Standard Time | 34 | — | — | |
| 1990 | Keepin' Me Up Nights | 73 | — | — | Arista |
| 1992 | Route 66 | — | — | — | Liberty |
| 1993 | A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys | 35 | 159 | 17 | |
| 1995 | The Wheel Keeps on Rollin | — | — | 3 | Capitol |
| 1997 | Back to the Future Now – Live at Arizona... | — | — | — | Sony |
| Merry Texas Christmas, Y'All | 75 | — | — | High Street | |
| 1999 | Ride with BobA | 24 | — | — | DreamWorks |
| 2003 | Take Me Back to Tulsa | — | — | — | Evangeline |
| Wide Awake!: Live in Oklahoma | — | — | — | Delta | |
| Live at Billy Bob's Texas | — | — | — | Smith Music Group | |
| Remembers the Alamo | — | — | — | Shout! Factory | |
| 2006 | Live from Austin, TX | — | — | — | New West |
| 2007 | Reinventing the Wheel | — | — | — | Mega Force |
| Kings of Texas Swing (CD/DVD) | — | — | — | Cleopatra | |
| Santa Loves to Boogie | — | — | — | MRI | |
| Asleep at the Wheel with The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra | — | — | — | Independent | |
| 2009 | Willie and the Wheel Willie and the Wheel Willie and the Wheel is an album from American country music artists Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel. This album was released on February 3, 2009, on the Bismeaux Records label and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.... (with Willie Nelson Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized... ) |
13 | 90 | — | Bismeaux |
| 2010 | It's a Good Day | 57 | — | — |
- ARide with Bob also peaked at No. 15 on Top HeatseekersTop HeatseekersTop Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
.
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
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| 1973 | "Before You Stop Loving Me" | — | — | Comin' Right at Ya | |||||
| "Daddy's Advice" | — | — | |||||||
| 1974 | "Don't Ask Me Why" | — | — | Asleep at the Wheel | |||||
| "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie Choo Choo Ch'Boogie "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" is a popular song first recorded in January 1946 by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five. It topped the R&B charts for 18 weeks from August 1946, a record only equalled by one other hit, "The Honeydripper"... " |
69 | — | |||||||
| 1975 | "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read The Letter That Johnny Walker Read " Letter That Johnny Walker Read" is the title of song written and recorded by the American country music band Asleep at the Wheel. It was released in August 1975 as the lead single from their album Texas Gold. The song's title is a reference to the Johnnie Walker "Red Label" Scotch whisky... " |
10 | 32 | Texas Gold | |||||
| "Bump, Bounce, Boogie" | 31 | 47 | |||||||
| 1976 | "Nothin' Takes the Place of You" | 35 | 30 | ||||||
| "Route 66 Route 66 (song) " Route 66", often rendered simply as "Route 66", is a popular song and rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. It was first recorded in the same year by Nat King Cole, and was subsequently covered by many artists including Chuck Berry in 1961, The Rolling... " |
48 | 47 | Wheelin' and Dealin | ||||||
| "Miles and Miles of Texas" | 38 | — | |||||||
| 1977 | "Trouble with Lovin' Today" | — | 34 | ||||||
| "Let's Face Up" | — | — | The Wheel | ||||||
| 1978 | "Ghost Dancer" | — | — | Collision Course | |||||
| "Texas Me and You" | 75 | — | |||||||
| 1979 | "Too Many Bad Habits" | — | — | Served Live | |||||
| 1980 | "Don't Get Caught Out in the Rain" | — | — | Framed | |||||
| 1987 | "Way Down Texas Way" | 39 | — | Ten | |||||
| "House of Blue Lights The House of Blue Lights (song) "The House of Blue Lights" is a popular song published in 1946, written by Don Raye and Freddie Slack. It was first recorded by Freddie Slack with singer Ella Mae Morse, and was covered the same year by The Andrews Sisters.... " |
17 | 12 | |||||||
| "Boogie Back to Texas" | 53 | — | |||||||
| 1988 | "Blowin' Like a Bandit" | 59 | — | ||||||
| "Walk On By Walk On By (Leroy Van Dyke song) "Walk on By" is a 1961 song written by Kendall Hayes and Gary Walker and performed by Leroy Van Dyke. "Walk on By" was Van Dyke's most successful single, spending 37 weeks on the country chart and a record-breaking 19 at the number-one position... " |
55 | * | Western Standard Time | ||||||
| "Hot Rod Lincoln Hot Rod Lincoln "Hot Rod Lincoln" was recorded in 1955, as an answer song to "Hot Rod Race", a 1951 hit for Arkie Shibley and his Mountain Dew Boys. Hot Rod Race tells the story of a late-model Ford and Mercury who end up racing along the highway, neither driver gaining an advantage, and staying "neck and neck"... " |
65 | * | |||||||
| 1989 | "Chattanooga Choo Choo" | — | — | ||||||
| 1990 | "Keepin' Me Up Nights" | 54 | 63 | Keepin' Me Up Nights | |||||
| "That's the Way Love Is" | 60 | 83 | |||||||
| 1991 | "Dance with Who Brung You" | 71 | — | ||||||
| 1992 | "Route 66" (re-release) | — | — | Route 66 | |||||
| 1993 | "Red Wing Red Wing (song) "Red Wing" is a popular song written in 1907 with music by Kerry Mills and lyrics by Thurland Chattaway. Mills adapted the music from Robert Schumann's composition for piano "The Happy Farmer, Returning From Work" from his 1848 work Album for the Young, Opus 68. The song tells of a young Indian... " |
— | — | Tribute to Bob Wills | |||||
| 1994 | "Blues for Dixie" | — | — | ||||||
| "Corrine, Corrina" (with Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists... ) |
73 | — | |||||||
| 1995 | "Hightower" | — | — | Wheel Keeps On Rollin | |||||
| 1996 | "Lay Down Sally Lay Down Sally "Lay Down Sally" is a single by Eric Clapton, written by Eric Clapton, Marcy Levy, and George Terry. It appeared on his November 1977 album Slowhand, and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is a country blues performed in the style of J. J... " |
— | 70 | ||||||
| 2007 | "Am I Right (Or Amarillo)" | — | * | Reinventing the Wheel | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released to that country * denotes unknown peak positions |
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Other charted songs
| Year | Single | US Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Roly Poly Roly Poly (song) "Roly Poly" is a humorous Western swing standard written by Fred Rose in 1946. In the song, Roly Poly is a very active boy who eats continuously to keep his strength up. Each verse ends with:"Roly Poly" was first recorded by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys in 1946, staying on the charts for 18... " (with Dixie Chicks Dixie Chicks The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines... ) |
65 | Ride with Bob |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Way Down Texas Way" | |
| "Boogie Back to Texas" | Bob Small | |
| 1988 | "Hot Rod Lincoln" | Wayne Miller |
| 1990 | "Keepin' Me Up Nights" | |
| 1993 | "Old Fashioned Love" (with Suzy Bogguss Suzy Bogguss Susan Kay "Suzy" Bogguss is an American country music singer. In the 1980s and 90s she released one platinum and three gold albums and charted six top ten singles, winning the Academy of Country Music's award for Top New Female Vocalist and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.After... ) |
|
| 1995 | "Bring It On Down to My House" | |
| "Lay Down Sally" | Mark Shuman | |
| 1997 | "Christmas in Jail" | |
| 1999 | "Cherokee Maiden Cherokee Maiden "Cherokee Maiden" is a Western swing love song written by Cindy Walker. The title comes from a refrain in the chorus:Merle Haggard recorded "Cherokee Maiden" in 1976 . It spent 11 weeks on the charts, reaching #1.... " |
Dan Karlok |
| 2001 | "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" is a 1946 song, with music and lyrics by Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney. It was recorded by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five. The single hit number one on the... " |
Eric McDonald |
| 2009 | "Hesitation Blues Hesitation Blues "Hesitation Blues" is a popular song adapted from a traditional tune. One version was published by Billy Smythe, Scott Middleton, and Art Gillham. Another was published by W.C. Handy as "Hesitating Blues." Because the tune is a traditional tune many artists have given themselves credit as... " (with Willie Nelson Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized... ) |
Zalman King |