Ray Benson
Acting
Biography
Ray Benson is the front man of the Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel as well as an actor and voice actor.
Born: March 16, 1951
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Known For
Asleep at the Wheel: Live From Austin, TX
Once upon a time...it all began with Asleep at the Wheel. Willie Nelson may have done the original Austin City Limits pilot show, but "The Wheel" was the first act to perform on the first episode of the very first season in 1976. Over three decades later they still deliver their own special brand of jazz-inspired Western Swing to avid fans of every description coast-to-coast. The other half of the very first show also featured a historic reunion of the original members of Bob Wills Texas Playboys. What makes this particular program, recorded October 14, 1992, so special is that several of those original Playboys return to perform with Asleep at the Wheel. Pioneering electric guitarist Eldon Shamblin, singer Leon Rausch, pedal steel player Herb Remington and virtuoso fiddler Johnny Gimble wail away on such Wills' classics as "Corine, Corina," "Roly Poly," and "Blues for Dixie." Goosebumps are guaranteed.
Last of the Breed: Live in Concert
Traditional Western swing and good ol' fashioned honky-tonk music just doesn't get any better than this. With a short run of 15 performances in 2007, the Last of the Breed tour united Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price to celebrate their elder-statesmen status as Country Music Hall of Famers with over 150 years of shared experience between them.
Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove
The story of Doug Sahm, the wild man musicians' musician and unsung hero of Texas music. A country music child prodigy and teenage rhythm & blues dynamo who caused a riot at his San Antonio high school, Sahm emerged as an international rock star leading the Sir Douglas Quintet. He landed in San Francisco just in time for the Summer of Love in 1967. He returned to Texas as the cowboy hippie rocker who built a burgeoning music scene in Austin in before forming the Tex-Mex supergroup The Texas Tornados. A kinetic, quirky character with a solid sense of place as well as an innate wanderlust, Doug Sahm’s story is the story of Texas music.
Austin City Limits
Now the longest-running music series in American television history, ACL showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre.
Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect: The Story of Small Pine
Come share the story of a young tree named Small Pine who had big hopes. One very special Christmas he and his friends Wrenifred, the bird; the rabbit, Harrison Carter Rutherford III; Doemenique, the deer; and the Princess Arabella learned that the real joy comes from giving of ourselves to help others.
Alamo Bay
A despondent Vietnam veteran in danger of losing his livelihood is pushed to the edge when he sees Vietnamese immigrants moving into the fishing industry in a Texas bay town.
Self Medicated
Based on true events. On the edges of Las Vegas, 17-year-old Andrew's life is spiraling out of control. Unable to cope with the loss of his father, Andrew's descent into drugs and violence is gaining momentum, and the once promising young man is now headed for self-destruction. Andrew's mother, helpless to control her son and fighting an addiction of her own, refuses to watch idly as her only child destroys himself. As a last resort, she hires a private company to forcibly kidnap and confine him in a locked-down and corrupt psychiatric hospital. As Andrew is subjected to the secret physical and emotional abuses of the program something inside him is re-awakened. He must somehow get free to save what's left of his life, but to do that, he knows he must first face his own demons head-on.
Wild Texas Wind
Soon after a country singer moves in with her band's new manager, he's found slain and she's a suspect.
Barbecue: A Texas Love Story
Barbecue is a religion in Texas, and this droll documentary takes a look at some of the colorful characters who live and die for this culinary art. Narrated by former Gov. Ann Richards, the film covers everything from the Church of the Holy BBQ and the Great Texas Mosquito Festival to a zealous group of University of Texas students who lead "barbecue missions." Interviews with Dan Rather, Kinky Friedman and other famous Texans are included.
Rich Hall's Countrier Than You
Award-winning comedian Rich Hall takes a country music journey from Tennessee to Texas to look at the movements and artists that don't get as much notoriety but have helped shape the genre over the years. With the help of prominent performers and producers including Michael Martin Murphey, Robbie Fulks and Ray Benson, Rich explores the early origins of country music in Nashville and Austin. He visits the rustic studios where this much-loved sound was born and discovers how the genre has reinvented itself with influences from bluegrass, western swing and americana.
Filmography
as Himself
as Vocals, Guitar
as Andrew's Father
as Self
as Ben Rayson
as Sir Woodrow (voice)
as Band Member
as Self