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Ray Benson Accessions

 Collection
Identifier: UPWC-18025

Scope and Contents

Ray Benson's archive contains materials documenting his entire career, featuring records, photographs, instruments, wardrobe, awards and other memorabilia dating from 1951-2018.

Dates

  • 1951-2018

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials from the Wittliff Collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user assumes responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish, and abiding by U.S. copyright laws. https://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu/research/visit/policies/publication.html

Biographical Notes

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.

Extent

31.5 Linear Feet

28 boxes (Framed items, posters, composite photograph, awards, artifacts)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

  • The descriptive data created for this finding aid is licensed under the CC0 Creative Commons license and is free for use without restriction.

Abstract

Ray Benson's archive contains materials documenting his entire career, featuring records, photographs, instruments, wardrobe, awards and other memorabilia dating from 1951-2018.

Physical Location

Materials may be stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use: https://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu/research/makearesearchappointment.html.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Ray Benson, 2017-2020

Title
Guide to the Ray Benson Accessions
Status
Unprocessed
Author
Tabitha Henderson (2017, 2018) and Sherri Turner-Herrmann (2019, 2020)
Date
2018, 2019, 2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Revision Statements

  • 2021: Revised for ArchivesSpace by Sherri Turner-Herrmann.

Repository Details

Part of the The Wittliff Collections Repository

Contact:
601 University Drive
San Marcos Texas 78666 USA