Asleep at the Wheel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Asleep at the Wheel is an Austin, Texas based Western swing band, winner of nine Grammy Awards. The name is derived from the expression "asleep at the wheel" which means one has fallen asleep while driving a vehicle, or "behind the wheel". It can also describe someone who is blissfully unaware of a dangerous situation.

More than 80 performers have been a part of the band over the course of their career, but the core band members are Ray Benson (lead guitar and vocals), Jason Roberts (fiddle), David Sanger (drums), David Earl Miller (bass), John Whitby (piano), Elizabeth McQueen (acoustic guitar and vocals), and Eddie Rivers (steel guitar and sax).

Asleep at the Wheel was created in Paw Paw, West Virginia in 1970. They moved to California to get a record deal, then relocated to Austin in 1973, at the suggestion of Willie Nelson.

Hit singles soon followed, including "Choo Choo Ch’Boogie", "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read", "One O'Clock Jump" and more. In 1977, they were named "Best Country & Western Band" by Rolling Stone magazine, as well as "Touring Band of the Year" by the Academy of Country Music.

The band made an appearance in the 1978 film Roadie, which also featured Meat Loaf, Blondie and Art Carney.

The band continued to record and tour to great success within the genre, racking up nine Grammy wins.

A 1993 tribute album featuring performances by Garth Brooks, George Strait and Vince Gill (Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills, Liberty Records) went high on the charts, introducing many new fans to the band's music. The album earned two more Grammys.

In October 2004 "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" featured on fictional country music station K-ROSE in popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The Spring of 2005 brought a new adventure into the legendary act: theater. A Ride With Bob is the first-ever play about the life and music of Bob Wills. Written by Ray Benson and Anne Rapp, and performed by twenty-five actors and musicians, with several dozen costume changes on a colorful theatrical set, A Ride With Bob]] includes the live performance of 15 of Wills’ most well-known songs in a plot that interweaves Ray Benson’s present day with various stages in Wills’ storied career.

  • Reinventing the Wheel (Bismeaux) 2006
  • Santa Loves to Boogie (Bismeaux) 2006
  • The Best of Asleep at the Wheel On the Road (Madacy) 2006
  • Live From Austin, TX (New West) 2006
  • Live at Ebbet's Field 1973 (Bismeaux) 2004
  • Live at Billy Bob’s Texas (Smith Music Group) 2003
  • Remembers the Alamo (Shout! Factory) 2003
  • Hang Up My Spurs (Cracker Barrel Heritage) 2002
  • Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel (Bismeaux) 2001
  • Ride With Bob (DreamWorks Records, Nashville) 1999
  • Merry Texas Christmas, Y'all! (High Street) 1997
  • Back to The Future Now...LIVE in Las Vegas (Sony) 1997
  • Swing Time (Sony) 1995 re-release
  • The Wheel Keeps On Rollin' (Capitol) 1995
  • Still Swingin' (Liberty) 1994 boxed set
  • Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys (Liberty) 1993
  • Route 66 (Liberty/Capitol) 1992 single
  • Live & Kickin' (Arista) 1992
  • Keepin' Me Up Nights (Arista) 1990
  • Western Standard Time (Epic/CBS) 1988
  • 10 (Epic/CBS) 1987
  • Wide Awake! Live in Oklahoma (Phantom) 1986 import
  • Pasture Prime (MCA-DOT, Demon, Stoney Plains) 1985
  • Drivin' (K-TEL) 1980 re-release
  • Framed (MCA) 1980
  • Served Live (Capitol / Acadia UK) 1979 import
  • Collision Course (Capitol / Acadia UK) 1978 import
  • The Wheel (Capitol / Acadia UK) 1977 import
  • Wheelin' And Dealin' (Capitol / Acadia UK) 1976 import
  • Texas Gold (Capitol / Koch / Acadia UK) 1975
  • Asleep At The Wheel (Epic/CBS) 1974
  • Comin' Right At Ya (United Artists / Koch) 1973

Advanced Search
Included Web Search Engines


Safe Search

close

Top Matching Results

Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to news, images, or video.

Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.

Sponsored Links

This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.

Search Results

Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch from the preferences.

The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.