Saturday, April 12, 8:00 pm

Austin, Texas based Asleep at the Wheel has been the most important force in keeping the sound of Western swing alive.  Winner of nine Grammy Awards and almost a national treasure, Asleep at the Wheel started rolling in 1970, and has never stopped.

Western Swing is a mix of big band, country and dance music. Popularized in the 1930s and '40s by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, 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.

Western Swing is infectious and eclectic.   "I loved jazz. I loved swing. I love blues. I love fiddle music and it was jazz with a fiddle — Count Basie with a cowboy hat," Benson told CBS News correspondent Mark Strassman on Sunday Morning.

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).  Benson quit college to start the band. Within a couple years, they had a hit record.

Asleep at the Wheel was created in Paw Paw, West Virginia in 1970. They moved to California to get a record deal, and relocated to Austin in 1973, at the suggestion of Willie Nelson, who was impressed.  "So I invited him [Bob Wills] 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."

Hit singles soon followed, including "Choo Choo Ch’Boogie", "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read", "One O'Clock Jump" and more. In 1977, the band was named "Best Country & Western Band" by Rolling Stone Magazine and "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. This album earned two more Grammys.

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 included 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.

"I think Bob Wills is one of the iconic figures of popular music—one of the people who set the standard in the way we do music today," Benson said.   In 1973, Benson finally shook hands with his musical hero. But the night before they were supposed to have a real talk, Wills had a massive stroke and never recovered.

Western Swing sounds like just the sort of music you'd expect this tall Texan would play except Ray Benson is not from Texas. He was born Ray Seifert, a Jewish kid from Philadelphia. He took to singing and playing the guitar early. Little Ray grew into a booming baritone, with a big hat and a Texas-sized sense of humor.

"I call it the geographical imperative," Benson said. "Do you have to be from the South to play country music? No. Do you have to be from Texas to play Texas music? You have to know Texas to do it."

Asleep at the Wheel is on the road 200 days a year, playing mostly one-nighters.

–portions of this article taken from cbs feature on Asleep at the Wheel by Mark Strassman.

For more information visit: http://www.asleepatthewheel.com