Ray Benson Accessions

In a career that has spanned almost half a century, Benson has established himself as the modern king of Western Swing by being the driving force behind Asleep at the Wheel. In 1970 the Philadelphia-born Benson co-founded the band in Paw Paw, West Virginia along with Lucky Oceans and Leroy Preston. The band relocated to the Bay Area in 1971 upon the urging of musician Commander Cody, whose own band The Lost Planet Airmen was gaining prominence on the West Coast. Asleep at the Wheel quickly attracted fans, one of which was legendary rock and soul artist, Van Morrison. Soon after Morrison mentioned the band in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Asleep at the Wheel were offered a record contract by United Artists, and in 1973 their first album “Comin’ Right At Ya” was released.

Not long after that, the “cosmic cowboys” of Texas came calling, and on the advice of artists like Willie Nelson and Doug Sahm, Benson moved the band to Austin. The rest, as they say, is history.

Benson’s honors include 2011 Texan of the Year, 2011 Texas Medal of the Arts Award for Multimedia, the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association, the 2008 TEC Les Paul Award, and the official Texas State Musician in 2004. He’s also an actor, writer and voice-over talent. A much sought after producer, he has worked with such artists as Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, Aaron Watson and Suzy Bogguss, to name a few. Since 2010 Benson has hosted the highly successful “Texas Music Scene” television series which broadcasts weekly all across the country, showcasing live performances by today’s talent in the Texas and Red Dirt music circuit. Benson has also hosted the radio show “Austin Outer Limits” on Sirius/XM’s “Willie’s Roadhouse” channel.