If you were under the impression that the freewheeling sound of Western swing legend Bob Wills was dead and buried, think again, because since the early 1970's Asleep at the Wheel has been breathing life into this classic component of country music.

Asleep at the Wheel is an ironic name for the group, who has integrated over 80 members into their perpetually changing line-up that usually consists of eight to eleven musicians at one time. At the helm for the entirety of Asleep at the Wheel's three-decade long career is frontman Ray Benson. Born Ray Benson Seifert, the 6'7'' singer and guitarist grew up listening to jazz in his native town Philadelphia before forming Asleep at the Wheel in 1970 in Paw Paw, WV with friend Lucky Oceans (steel guitar; born Reuben Gosfield) and Leroy Preston (rhythm guitar). After adding recent high school grad, female singer Chris O'Connell, the band began playing straight-up country music before discovering Merle Haggard and eclectic country-rock group Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen and consequently integrating Western Swing into their act. Asleep at the Wheel signed with Commander Cody manager Joe Kerr and moved to San Francisco in 1971, where they added keyboardist Floyd Domino and became a regular act at Berkeley's Longbranch Saloon.

After Van Morrison sang the praises of Asleep at the Wheel in a Rolling Stone article, United Artists signed the group and produced their debut album, Comin' Right at Ya, released in 1973. Asleep at the Wheel moved to the music town of Austin, TX, switched to Epic Records, and released their self-titled sophomore album in 1974, which earned them a hit single with Louis Jordan cover "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie." More transformations occurred, with another label switch (to Capitol) and the addition of trumpeter Bobby Womack and fiddler Lisa Silver, before the group released their breakthrough album, 1975's Texas Gold. Appearances in soundtracks and commercials, multiple Grammys and a series of albums later, Asleep at the Wheel remains in control of their destiny.