Ray Benson to Recieve Les Paul Award

The Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio has announced that musician, producer and composer Ray Benson, the founder and leader of the Western Swing group Asleep at the Wheel, will receive the prestigious Les Paul Award at the 24th Annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. Sponsored by the Gibson Foundation, the award will be presented on Friday, October 3 at San Francisco's Westin St. Francis, on the second night of the annual Audio Engineering Society Convention.

Named for the legendary musician, inventor and pioneer of multitrack recording, the Les Paul Award was established in 1991 to honor the lifetime achievements of musical artists and others whose work has exemplified the creative use of recording technology. Benson joins illustrious past honorees Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson and other innovative artists and producers.

”Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel have been delighting audiences since the early '70s with their high-voltage Western Swing repertoire,” says Mix Foundation president Hillel Resner. “But what the average listener doesn't know is that Ray is not only a consummate artist, but has the technical knowledge and expertise of a veteran engineer and producer.”

To read the full article please click the link below.

http://mixonline.com/mixline/lespaulaward_2008_raybenson_0209/

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Jerry Wexler - R.I.P.

I was good friends with Jerry Wexler. I will miss him dearly. It was always nice to get something from him in the mail. The last couple of things he sent me were an Aretha Franklin double CD and an article from Rolling Stone talking about his encounter with Joe Cocker. Jerry was a diamond in the rough. The world was a much better place with him here. We all will miss you Jerry and the wonderful music you helped create.

http://www.austin360.com/news/content/music/stories/2008/08/0816wexler.html?cxntlid=inform_artr

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New AATW Music up on iTunes

Howdy Y'all. We have a new EP out on iTunes today. Check it out.

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=286309890&s=143441

There are five songs on the EP:

Route 66

Sittin' On Top of the World

Bump Bounce Boogie

Hot Rod Lincoln

Cotton Eye Joe

The album is only available on iTunes. The recording captures the best live material from the 2008 summer and highlights Jason Roberts on "Sittin' On Top of the World" and Ray Benson on the legendary "Hot Rod Lincoln." We hope you enjoy the tunes!

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Help Western Swing Become The Texas State Symbol for Music

Western Swing Music
Texas State Symbol for Music

Texas has many wonderful symbols that represent our wonderful state to the rest of the world many that are unique to us, friendship, the blue bonnet, the guitar, the mockingbird, chili, cowboy boots, the longhorn, the Lone Star State and so on. But, after more that 150 years of rich Texas history , which includes wonderful music, we do not have a state symbol that represents our musical heritage.



We are on a quest to rectify that we want to establish Western Swing music as that symbol. Western Swing music was developed by Texans Milton Brown and Bob Wills during the depression of the 1930's and incorporated, jazz, blues, hillbilly (cowboy, country), big band, jitterbug, ragtime, Dixieland, polka, mariachi, swing and rumba and on and on into one genre of music that represents all the cultures of Texas. Western Swing was the forefather to rock n roll.


This music just screams that it is Texas!

We are working to have this presented in the January 2009 legislative session. If you feel as we do, please write or e- mail your wishes to your state representatives ,state senators and Governor Rick Perry to cast their vote in favor of this when the bill is presented.

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Review of Fort Worth Performance 6/6/08
Current mood: awake
Category: Blogging

We had a blast this last Friday up in Fort Worth.

Check it out here.

Currently listening : Countrysides By Cracker Release date: 2003-10-07

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Hot Rod Lincoln 50th Anniversary Show

Last Friday we had the priveldge of sharing the stage (once again) with Commander Cody for the 50th Anniversary of Hot Rod Lincoln. Unfortunatley the songwriter, Charlie Ryan, passed away earlier in the year and could not make it.

For a recap of the show please visit the official site here

We are back in Austin now and look forward to staying kind of close to home in May.  

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Some Funny Stories About Willie

In this month's Texas Monthly Magazine, I got interviewed on a wide range of "Willie Topics." It's worth a read!

Dave and Elizabeth were recently featured on a video from Darlyn Hall entitled 'Daryl's House'. If you click the second half of the show button...they appear at the very end. Click here to view

We are getting excited about out show with Commander Cody this weekend. Check out the sweet poster for the show. I think they will be available at the gig.

Best,

RB

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ACL Fest 2008
Current mood: adored
Category: Music

Yup. We are back for another year at ACL Fest. We are very happy to be sharing the stage with so many other great artists. If it goes like every other year we have played...looks like we will be playing on Friday...but it has not been confirmed yet.

For a full list of artists for the event please visit The official ACL page.

We are wrapping up our west coast trip today with a performance in Solana Beach at The Belly Up.

One exciting thing going on this month is the 50th anniversary show of Hot Rod Lincoln with AATW and Commander Cody in Kent, OH, on the 25th of this month. Check out the official page Here

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Cal I For Ni A
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Art and Photography

Hey Guys! I uploaded some pictures from the road.

Check it out here: Wheels on Tha Bus

Thanks! We are having a blast on the west coast.

EMQ

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Review of the Long Center Concert
Current mood: content
Category: Music

Review: Texas night at the Long Center with Willie, Lyle and Ray Benson, among others

By John T. Davis | Monday, March 31, 2008, 11:24 AM




The last time I saw Willie Nelson, a little more than three weeks ago at the Star of Texas Rodeo, his opening acts were saddle broncs and bull riders. Dust was, let’s say, ubiquitous.

But Saturday night he returned to play the hoitiest-toitiest new honky-tonk in town: the Long Center for the Performing Arts, which was throwing a gala, weekend-long grand opening party.

Nelson was one component of an all-star Texas music evening, which saw the Red-Headed Stranger mixing it up with Lyle Lovett, Asleep At the Wheel, Flaco Jimenez and Rick Treviño.

The acoustic gem which is the Michael and Susan Dell Hall at the Long Center might seem an odd setting for twin fiddles, steel guitars and songs about drinkin’, cheatin’ and redneck bonhomie. But the show was in keeping with the Long Center’s stated mission of serving a "broad spectrum" of the arts. (Hey, next week I’m returning to the hall to see opera diva Kathleen Battle — whether she, too, will sing about whiskey remains to be seen).

"Thirty-five years ago I moved to Austin and played at the Municipal Auditorium with Ernest Tubb and Hank Thompson," reminisced the Wheel’s Ray Benson before the band swung into "Faded Love," "Black and White Rag" and "Big Ball’s In Cowtown." "I knew I was in heaven," he continued. "Thirty-five years later, we get to play in the most beautiful concert hall this town has ever seen."

Musically, the evening was a mixed grill, with Asleep At the Wheel taking the stage first and remaining to serve as a de facto house band for the other performers. The end result was refreshing, forcing Nelson, Lovett and Treviño out of their familiar respective contexts.

Thus it was a treat to hear Nelsonian standards like "Crazy" and "Whiskey River" adorned with fiddles and steel guitar, instruments that don’t feature in Nelson’s Family Band lineup. Likewise, the Wheel musicians, abetted by a trio from Lovett’s Large Band, turned "Blues For Dixie" into a jaunty romp and hot-wired "My Baby Don’t Tolerate" into a feral, prowling blues showpiece. (Lovett’s take on "What Do You Do/The Glory of Love" — with Wheel bandleader Ray Benson taking Large Band vocalist Francine Reed’s distaff part — was a showstopper in its own right).

Nelson, Lovett and the various Wheel vocalists also harmonized on several songs, a rare treat for fans of each.

Another highlight was Ruby Jane Smith, a crackerjack 13-year-old fiddle player guest-starring with the Wheel, who jumped into the proceedings with polished gusto.

Rick Treviño, along with accordion maestro Flaco Jimenez (who seemed somewhat disjointed and disoriented) joined the festivities for a plaintive conjunto ballad, and Treviño remained onstage to sing backup to Nelson’s ever-poignant "Always On My Mind."

The whole deal wrapped up with all 18 musicians onstage romping through Nelson’s anthem "On the Road Again."

The road that led to the Long Center’s fruition was a long and winding one; it was only appropriate to have some hometown icons on hand to celebrate the last mile of the journey.

(Left to right, Ray Benson, Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett perform Saturday night at the Long Center. Photo by Jay Janner/AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

Currently listening : O Brother, Where Art Thou? By Various Artists - Soundtrack Release date: 05 December, 2000

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SXSW Party Review
Current mood: creative
Category: Music

March 13, 2008
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/sxsw/2008/03/birthday_barbecue_and_hot_lick.html
by John Goodspeed

Birthday, barbecue and hot licks — Ray Benson knows how to party

You never know who you might run into at SXSW parties.

Carolyn Wonderland plays a set of blazing blues at Ray Benson’s birthday party at Antone’s.
With Asleep at the Wheel belting out western swing as bandleader Ray Benson celebrated his birthday on Wednesday afternoon at Antone’s, I was balancing cameras and a heaping plate of ribs and brisket.

Looking for a flat spot to rest my plate, I nestled between two women at a counter and struck up a conversation with one.

She was one of the few Austin natives around, she was singing praises of the barbecue, Asleep at the Wheel and Tim Curry, a singer who joined the band onstage.

"The Salt Lick is the best around," she said. "I don’t know how they get the ribs so tender."

Her name was Cynthia Curry, and she’s married to Tim — an Austin actor and gospel and R&B singer who has been touring in Benson’s musical biography of Bob Wills, "A Ride With Bob."

But her critique of Mr. Curry — and the barbecue — was spot on.

The Wheel took a breather while blues singer Carolyn Wonderland took the stage for a blazing set that glowed like her red hair.

She is a hot guitarist, too, playing blues/rock with the best.

Her songs included "Misunderstood," from "Miss Understood," her new album released last month on Benson’s Bismeaux Records and produced by Benson.

Benson and his gang — already a nine-piece band with twin fiddles — took the stage once more and turned the Bob Wills classic "Milk Cow Blues" into a jam session with Wonderland and two more fiddlers.

"It’s the South Austin Symphony Orchestra right here," Benson joked about the string section.

Ray Benson (left) leads Asleep at the Wheel with several more musicians jamming, including Carolyn Wonderland.
Joining Jason Roberts and Walt Roberts (no relation) were young bow masters Damian Green, 17, and Ruby Jane Smith, 13.

Then singer/guitarist Elizabeth McQueen reminded everyone what the party was all about, and the band and the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Benson.

Later, when he was asked how old he was, Benson declined to say — exactly.

"I don’t keep track anymore," he said. "The only thing I’ll say is that I was born in 1951, and that makes it too hard for me to figure out."

Currently listening : Cure for Pain By Morphine Release date: 14 September, 1993

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Barely Political
Current mood: political
Category: political News and Politics

Click here for a video with us in it. We are only in it for a couple seconds around the 2:50 mark.

Warning....this is for Obama fans only. It is quite silly. Ha!

Ray was on KGSR this morning. Anyone catch it?

Currently listening : Take Me Back to Tulsa By Bob Wills Release date: 03 December, 2001

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The Long Center Grand Opening
Current mood: content

Click the picture for more info.

Currently listening : Greenland By Cracker Release date: 06 June, 2006

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The Barack Obama Video with AATW - Boogie Back to Texas
Current mood: cheerful
Category: Music

What a hoot!

Currently listening : Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel By Asleep at the Wheel Release date: 18 September, 2007

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Asleep at the Wheel and Barack Obama singing together!
Current mood: refreshed
Category: Music

We had a blast last night at The Austin Music Hall here in Austin. Carolyn Wonderland, Joe Ely, and Tim Curry joined us on stage last night for a memorable night playing the Barack Obama rally after the democratic debate. Our drummer, Dave Sanger, went to college with Barack! Check out some of the pictures below.










Thanks to Lisa Pollard and The Austin American Statesman for the pictures.

Currently listening : Howl By Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Release date: 23 August, 2005

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