Asleep at the Wheel | Artist

Asleep at the Wheel is an American country music group formed 1970 in Paw Paw, West Virginia by Ray Benson and Lucky Oceans. Soon after forming they found themselves opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna in Washington, DC. A year later, they moved to California, at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. After being name-dropped in Rolling Stone magazine by no less than Van Morrison, they landed a record deal with United Artists and their debut album, Comin' Right at Ya was released in 1973. At the invitation of Willie Nelson, they left Oakland for Austin Texas in 1974 and that remains their home to the present day. The band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception, released over twenty albums, and has charted more than 21 singles on the Billboard country charts. Standout albums include Comin' Right at Ya (1973), Tribute to the Music of Bob Will and the Texas Playboys (1993), Ride With Bob (1999), Willie and the Wheel (2009), and Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills (2015). The band is dedicated to keeping alive the early country swing music of past artists such as Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. Band leader Ray Benson has collaborated with traditionalist artists in the tribute albums to Bob Wills, like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Dwight Yoakam. He also works with the new breed of country artists such as the Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw and Lee Ann Womack, plus pop artists Shawn Colvin and the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

Artist Website: asleepatthewheel.com

Featured Albums: Asleep at the Wheel

Related Artists: Ray Benson, Lucky Oceans, Willie Nelson, Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys