Asleep At The Wheel

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, LED BY THE LEGENDARY RAY BENSON, COMES TO THE STIEFEL THEATRE

For more than 50 years, Asleep at the Wheel has been bringing the joyful, irresistible sound of Western swing to audiences around the world — and founder and frontman Ray Benson is still leading the way.

With more than 30 albums, 10 Grammy Awards and millions of miles on the road, Asleep at the Wheel has become one of the great enduring bands in American roots music. More than 100 musicians have passed through the group over the decades, but Benson — the unmistakable voice, guitarist and larger-than-life presence at the heart of the band — remains its leader and keeper of the vision.

And this is no nostalgia act. Asleep at the Wheel is still doing what it has always done best: putting exceptional musicians onstage and delivering a show filled with swing, country, blues, boogie and pure fun.

“I’m the reason it’s still together, but the reason it’s popular is because we’ve had the greatest singers and players,” Benson says. “When someone joins the band, I say, ‘Learn everything that’s ever been done, then put your own stamp on it.’”

That combination of tradition and fresh energy has allowed Asleep at the Wheel to introduce Western swing to generation after generation. The band has spent more than half a century celebrating the music pioneered by Bob Wills while creating a sound and legacy unmistakably its own.

For Benson, the remarkable thing is that after all these years, the music — and the joy of playing it — hasn't diminished.

“It took me 60 years, but I’m doing what I’m meant to do — singing and playing and writing better than I ever have,” Benson says. “A bandleader is just someone who gathers people around them to play the best music they can play. I just try and make the best decisions possible and kick some ass every night onstage.”

More than 50 years in, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel are still swinging — and audiences are still having one heck of a good time.