Asleep At the Wheel releases new version of “Route 66” for 50th-anniversary album

Western swing band Asleep At the Wheel last week released an album that marks its 50th anniversary, "Half of a Hundred Years," that includes a new version of "Route 66." The new cut of "Route 66" includes guest vocalists Leroy Preston and Johnny Nicholas to accompany the band's longtime lead singer, Ray Benson. Preston was … Continue reading Asleep At the Wheel releases new version of “Route 66” for 50th-anniversary album

“Route 66” with the Time Jumpers

Here's something special. Ray Benson, frontman for the western-swing outfit Asleep At the Wheel, sings "Route 66" with the Time Jumpers during a recent gig in Nashville. https://youtu.be/Bdm23K7xYls In case you didn't know, the Time Jumpers is a group of Nashville studio musicians who started playing classic country, swing, jazz and pop songs together nearly 20 … Continue reading “Route 66” with the Time Jumpers

An oldie with the Dixie Chicks

The YouTube account that posted this today proclaims this 20-plus-year-old clip as "rare." I see no reason to disbelieve that. It's Ray Benson of the western swing band Asleep At the Wheel singing "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" with an early edition of the Dixie Chicks on the "American Music Shop" television show, which … Continue reading An oldie with the Dixie Chicks

Cruising with Asleep at the Wheel

Lord knows we've posted a lot of performances by western swing band Asleep At the Wheel on this site. But this is a well-produced video: The band playing "Route 66" at Billy Bob's Texas, the famous club in Fort Worth. https://youtu.be/OMWLl4KcELI The band always performs Bobby Troup’s “Route 66″ at every show, and bandleader Ray … Continue reading Cruising with Asleep at the Wheel