Asleep at the Wheel is an American country music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia….. while being based in Austin, Texas…..as the band has won nine Grammy Awards since their 1970 inception….released over twenty albums….and has charted more than 21 singles on the Billboard country charts. Their highest-charting single, “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read”, peaked at # 10 in 1975.
In 1969, Ray Benson and Lucky Oceans (Reuben Gosfield) co-founded Asleep at the Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia….when they soon after they found themselves opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna in Washington, DC. A year later, they moved to East Oakland, California, at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen…..when after being mentioned in Rolling Stone magazine by Van Morrison, they landed a record deal with United Artists. In 1973, their debut album, Comin’ Right At Ya, was released by United Artists…..and soon thereafter, at the invitation of Willie Nelson, they left Oakland for Austin in 1974.
In this video seen herewith…..Ray Benson + Asleep At The Wheel join Willie Nelson in a tribute to guitar virtuoso Django Reinhardt on Austin City Limits in 1981…..while performing Django’s song “Believe Me Lil Darlin’ I Don’t Mind” with a rendition well worth the price of admission.
