Texas and Americana music pioneers Asleep at the Wheel aren’t going to let the year end without one last digital hurrah. On December 19th, bandleader Ray Benson and crew will dust off the carols, spike the eggnog, and proceed to boogie—holiday style—with a very special 90-minute live stream concert dubbed Merry Texas Christmas, Y’all! The band will take the stage at the “Texas North Pole,” playing fan favorites as well as choice cuts from their three previously released Christmas albums. The festivities will begin at 7 pm CST on December 19th, and post-show, the special will be on-demand streaming until Santa makes his rounds. For more information and to purchase a ticket, please follow this link. One ticket will allow streaming on one device.
In addition to tickets, exclusive holiday bundles including VIP Zoom meet and greets with Ray Benson and Katie Shore, Asleep at the Wheel Christmas cards, autographed CDs, tote bags, and more are available now right here, powered by Friendly Sky.
What else has the Asleep at the Wheel been up to this year? In October, the band teamed up with Austin City Limits and PBS for ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel, a special retrospective of the band’s appearances on the beloved program. From performing on the series’ very first episode to modern-day collaborations with legends like Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett (in total, the band has appeared on eleven episodes), Asleep at the Wheel have woven a 50-year thread through Texas and American music history, and Austin City Limits played a quite the part in it. Fans can experience the journey right from the beginning with ACL Presents: 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel; more information including a full broadcast schedule is available at acltv.com.
About Asleep at the Wheel: The stars aligned in 1970 when three friends Ray Benson, Lucky Oceans, and Leroy Preston moved to Paw Paw, West Virginia (it’s not a made-up place, you can look it up). It was there that their dream of forming a band began after a mutual friend gave them access to his uncle’s cabin on an apple orchard just outside of town. The three friends began to—quite literally—woodshed and found others who would join them in their mission to play old-style roots/Americana music. This was long before the genre even had a name. After a trip to the outhouse, Lucky lived up to his name and suggested the band be called Asleep at the Wheel and so it was to be for the next 50 years.
Since inception, Asleep at the Wheel has received 10 GRAMMY® Awards, was cited by the Country Music Association as 1976 Touring Band of the Year, and were given the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Americana Music Association. They have released 31 albums and charted more than 20 singles on country charts. Billboard commented on the band’s catalog most succinctly: “Everything this act has ever released is simply spectacular.”
