‘Asleep at the Wheel’ Coming to Festival Hill

Benson & Festival

For over fifty years, Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson has been traversing the globe as an ambassador of Western Swing music and introducing its irresistible sound to generation after generation. More than 100 musicians have passed through the Wheel, but Benson remains the front man and the keeper of the vision, in the process racking up more than 30 albums, ten Grammy awards and literally millions of miles on the road. Now on Saturday, January 27, 2024 Asleep at the Wheel will step onto the Round Top Festival Institute Concert Hall stage for a benefit concert supporting the Festival Institute.

“We’ve always said that we’re a live band,” Benson stated. “We’ll make a great record but it’s all about being on stage. The best promotion for a band is a great live show”.

Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, November 1, at 10:00 am. Please go online at festivalhill.org and go to Events, Asleep at the Wheel. Reserved seating is $150 in the first five rows of the Hall and general admission tickets are $75. Tickets are also available by calling the main office (979) 249-3129.

Founded in 1970, Asleep at the Wheel has been part of the American Roots Music landscape for more than 50 years. Although the band got its start on a farm in West Virginia, Asleep at the Wheel became a cornerstone of the Austin, Texas music scene when Doug Sahm and Willie Nelson encouraged Benson to make the move. Inspired by western swing and honkytonk country, the band has accrued 10 Grammy Awards.

Asleep at the Wheel has collaborated on records with genre-spanning friends, including Willie Nelson on the 2009 Grammy Nominated Willie and the Wheel and other critically acclaimed artists, including Brad Paisley, Merle Haggard, George Strait, the Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show and Lyle Lovett on Still the King, their 2015 Grammy winning tribute to Bob Wills.

Benson & Festival

Institute Founder

James Dick Share

Special Distinction

Round Top Festival Institute founder James Dick met Ray Benson after both received the Texas Medal of Arts Award presented by the Texas Cultural Trust. James Dick received the award in 2009 for arts education and Benson for music in 2011. The award celebrates Texans who have made powerful contributions to the arts through their creative talent or philanthropic endeavors.

Asleep at the Wheel represents an important cornerstone of American roots music, even though some of its members and audiences represent a new generation. That far-reaching appeal remains a testament to Benson’s initial vision. This is another unique opportunity to hear a great Texas artist in the magnificent hall in Round Top.