- Asleep at the Wheel
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Asleep at the Wheel 
Asleep at the Wheel performing in San Diego, CABackground information Origin Paw Paw, West Virginia,
United StatesGenres Country, Western swing Years active 1970–present Labels Bismeaux Records
Dreamworks Records
Capitol Nashville Records
Epic Records
MCA Nashville Records
Shout! Factory RecordsWebsite www.asleepatthewheel.com Members Ray Benson
Elizabeth McQueen
David Earl Miller
Eddie Rivers
Jason Roberts
David Sanger
Dan WaltonPast members Jann Browne
Tommy Beavers
Richard Fitzhugh
Lucky Oceans
Wally Murphy
Chris O'Connell
Jim Murphy
LeRoy Preston
Floyd Domino
Daniel Levin
Tony Garnier
Scott Hennige
Ed Vizard
Haydn Vitera
Chris Boozr
Cindy Cashdollar
Tim Alexander
Michael Francis
Buddy Spicher
Gene Dobkin
Richard Casanova
Johnny Nicholas
John Whitby
Bobby Black Rosie FloresAsleep at the Wheel is a American country music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia,[1] 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.
Contents
Band history
Beginnings to Austin
In 1969, Ray Benson 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.[1] A year later, they moved to East Oakland, California at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.[2] After being mentioned in Rolling Stone magazine by Van Morrison, they landed a record deal with United Artists.[2][3] 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.[1]
1974 – 1979
In 1974, they released their second album, Asleep at the Wheel with a cover of Louis Jordan'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.[1] 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.[1] The following year, they made a cover of Count Basie's song "One O'Clock Jump".[2] 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.[1]
1980 – 1989
The 1980s became a turbulent decade for the band. After moving to MCA, 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.[2] 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.[2] The following year, the band released Western Standard Time, which won them another Grammy for Best Country Instrumental.[2] 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.[4]
1990 – 1999
The band moved to Arista 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[1] and co-starred in the movie Wild Texas Wind with Dolly Parton.[5] In honor of the 66th anniversary of Route 66, the band launched the Route 66 Tour.[1] In 1993, the band released the instant hit[1] A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys to much critical acclaim with several guest musicians.[2] Two years later, the band celebrated their 25th anniversary[1] by releasing The Wheel Keeps on Rollin'.[2] 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,[1] 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.[6]
2000 and onward
In 2000, the Dixie Chicks were nominated for an Award for Vocal Event of the Year for "Roly Poly" with Asleep at the Wheel from the Country Music Association.[7][dead link] 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.[1][8] They were scheduled to play at the White House on the fateful September 11, 2001.[1] 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.[9] 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).[10]
"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 Wills' 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.
Willie and the Wheel
In February 2009, Ray Benson collaborated with Willie Nelson to release Willie and the Wheel. 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.
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.
Discography
Albums
Year Album[2] Chart Positions[2] Label US Country US 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 (with Willie Nelson) 13 90 — Bismeaux 2010 It's a Good Day 57 — — - A'Ride with Bob also peaked at No. 15 on Top Heatseekers.
Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions[2] Album US Country CAN Country 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" 69 — 1975 "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" 10 32 Texas Gold "Bump, Bounce, Boogie" 31 47 1976 "Nothin' Takes the Place of You" 35 30 "Route 66" 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" 17 12 "Boogie Back to Texas" 53 — 1988 "Blowin' Like a Bandit" 59 — "Walk On By" 55 * Western Standard Time "Hot Rod Lincoln" 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" — — Tribute to Bob Wills 1994 "Blues for Dixie" — — "Corrine, Corrina" (with Brooks & Dunn) 73 — 1995 "Hightower" — — Wheel Keeps On Rollin' 1996 "Lay Down Sally" — 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 positionsOther charted songs
Year Single US Country Album 2000 "Roly Poly" (with Dixie Chicks) 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) 1995 "Bring It On Down to My House" "Lay Down Sally" Mark Shuman 1997 "Christmas in Jail" 1999 "Cherokee Maiden"[11] Dan Karlok 2001 "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens"[12] Eric McDonald 2009 "Hesitation Blues" (with Willie Nelson) Zalman King References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Asleep at the Wheel Official Site". http://www.asleepatthewheel.com/set_story.html. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Billboard/VNU eMedia.. "Allmusic – Asleep at the Wheel". All Media Guide. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p1509. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
- ^ Grissim Jr., John (1972-06-22). "Van Morrison: The Rolling Stone interview". Rolling Stone Magazine. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanmorrison/articles/story/5939314/van_morrison. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Jann Browne biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p1538. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ "Wild Texas Wind". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103263/. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
- ^ Dansby, Andrew (accessed March 20, 2008) An all-star stable of guests lets Bob Wills take the wheel
- ^ Front Page Publicity, Dixie Chicks
- ^ NPR Riding With Bob
- ^ "Kings of Texas Swing". http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?z=y&EAN=741157168327&itm=2. Retrieved 2007-12-12.
- ^ "Austin Music Awards". http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Awards/MusicAwards?Year=2006. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Asleep at the Wheel : Cherokee Maiden". Country Music Television. http://www.cmt.com/videos/asleep-at-the-wheel/309288/cherokee-maiden.jhtml. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Asleep at the Wheel : Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens". Country Music Television. http://www.cmt.com/videos/asleep-at-the-wheel/387549/aint-nobody-here-but-us-chickens.jhtml. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
External links
Awards Preceded by
Jason & the ScorchersAMA Lifetime Achievement Award for Performing
2009Not Yet Awarded Categories:- American country music groups
- Grammy Award winners
- Musical groups established in 1970
- Retro-swing ensembles
- Western swing musical groups
- Musical groups from West Virginia
- Musical groups from Austin, Texas
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