Asleep At The Wheel - Half A Hundred Years

 

Gatefold double LP

Asleep at the Wheel marks 50th anniversary with all-star guests album

Asleep at the Wheel, the long-running and influential Western-swing band, will mark 50 years together with a new album. The aptly titled Half a Hundred Years will be released in October and features a number of all-star guests.

Watch the video for the title track, above.

The title track is elevated by buoyant horns and singer Ray Benson's drawling baritone — it's the ultimate road song: "I've been on the road for half a hundred years," Benson boasts.

"I was trying to get across the sacrifices you have to make in 50 years on the road and the other positive side of it. The great experiences, the places I've been, and all the amazing people I've had the opportunity to meet and play music with," Benson said.

The album Half a Hundred Years spans 19 songs includes a number of A-list collaborations: George Strait, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Lee Ann Womack, and Bill Kirchen all pop up. Willie Nelson, who paired with Asleep at the Wheel for 2009's Willie and the Wheel, appears on no less than three tracks. He also earns a shout-out in the title song. "I might catch up to Willie one of these days," Benson ad libs, paying homage to the enduring road warrior.

Side A

1. Half a Hundred Years

2. It's the Same Old South

3. I Do What I Must

4. There You Go Again (feat. Lyle Lovett)

5. My Little Baby

Side B

1. Paycheck to Paycheck

2. Word to the Wise (feat. Bill Kirchen)

3. That's How I Remember It

4. The Photo

5. I Love You Most of All (When You're Not Here)

Side C

1. The Wheel Boogie

2. Take Me Back to Tulsa (feat. George Strait and Willie Nelson)

3. The Letter That Johnny Walker Read (feat. Lee Ann Womack)

4. Bump Bounce Boogie (feat. Chris O'Connell, Katie Shore, and Elizabeth McQueen)

5. Miles and Miles of Texas

Side D

1. (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 (feat. Leroy Preston, Johnny Nicholas, and Ray Benson)

2. Marie (feat. Willie Nelson)

3. Spanish Two Step (feat. Johnny Gimble and Jesse Ashlock)

4. The Road Will Hold Me Tonight (feat. Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson)

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