Benson's Not Asleep At The Wheel

That May Be The Name Of His Band, But Ray Benson Is Very Much Awake

(CBS) 
"So I invited him to come to Texas," Nelson said. "I knew he'd do well down here. I knew that a lot of people down here were hungry for that kind of music."

"Where did he hear it, you know? Where did he grow up? what was he on?" Nelson said.

While their musical approach hasn't changed, the band has. Asleep at the Wheel started with vocalist Chris O'Connell. Now singer Elizabeth McQueen and fiddler Jason Roberts join Benson on stage. He likes to say they are "Reinventing the Wheel," which just so happens to be the title of their new CD.

"I never wanted my name on the marquee," he said. "I wanted the band name. I like bands. It's tough. It's the hardest kind of collaboration to have a band. But it's the most satisfying."

The rest of the band members are also devoted to the group.

"For me just getting to play with some of the best musicians that I've ever met is a real thrill," McQueen said.

"And for me it's the style of music that we play," Roberts said. "We get to play a nice mixture of blues, jazz, Western Swing, boogie-woogie."

Over the years, Benson says he has played with 90 musicians in his band. The reason behind the high turnover rate?

"I'm a son of a bitch," he said. "It's a tough road. Let me tell you something. They don't make a lot of money. We travel a lot."

A lot of wear and tear on family life, too. Benson is divorced with two grown sons. Asleep at the Wheel is on the road 200 days a year — playing mostly one-nighters.

In Santa Fe, the crowd at the Brewing Company boogied to the beat, and the next night, in Denver, the band added a few strings, performing with the Colorado Symphony.

"I work with an arranger and we put together a really neat show," Benson said. "And you know, nobody spills beer on ya' at the symphony."

Benson also has a hobby. He collects everything that has anything to do with Route 66. He is also surrounded by guitars, pictures and nine Grammy awards at his home studio in Austin. He has made more than 30 albums and is also a sought-after record producer.

"He'll leave a pretty wide mark, I guarantee you, 'cause he's been a lot of places, done a lot of things, recorded all of it," Nelson said. "Ray Benson and Alseep at the Wheel, our Ray Benson will, you know, he'll leave a mark."

But for Benson, it's not about the spotlight, it's about keeping music of the Southwest alive and on the upswing.