THE LATEST
Ray Benson
Bob Edwards Show
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There are few musicians that work harder than Ray Benson–
he’s been touring with his band, Asleep at the Wheel, for thirty-eight
years. I’m a Bakersfield, CA native – birthplace of the country and
western style known as the Bakersfield Sound and home of the legendary Buck
Owens—so I know a thing or two about country music, but Ray Benson’s unique
brand of Western Swing had mostly eluded me. Now I’m an expert: producing
Bob’s interview with Ray Benson, schooled me in a genre of country music that
is often forgotten. Ray – a founding member of the band – has an unique vantage
point on how the band, the music, and the genre has progressed since Asleep at the Wheel first took the stage in1969.
With nine Grammys and two movies under his belt you’d think Ray would be satisfied; touring with the band and working on new material. Nope: he’s also devoted to preserving the memory of the original King of Western Swing, Bob Wills.
He’s put together three Bob Wills tribute albums with some of the heaviest hitters in the country music business: Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, Lee Ann Womack, Shawn Colvin, Lyle Lovett, The Dixie Chicks and Dwight Yokum.
If the tribute albums weren’t enough, Benson has taken his love for
all things Wills to new heights. In 2005 he helped write, produce, and he
starred in the musical, A Ride with Bob– the show is the imagined
conversation that Benson was never able to have with his musical hero. Since its debute it has played all over the country – and it’s been a smash
success.
Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel came through my home town to
play every so often – so I’ve seen them live before. Their music is so
infectious, it’s impossible not to leap out into the middle of the dance floor.
As I reacquainted myself with their music for Bob’s interview – I couldn’t help
but sing along and tap my feet. (A few times I wished I we had dance floor so I
could dance in the middle of the office.)
It was really fun having Ray in the studio and watching him talk
to Bob. Those two are two peas in a pod – they couldn’t get enough of talk of
Bob Wills and country music. Ray Benson has carried the torch of Western Swing
into the 21st century -- and if you listen to the interview I think you’ll
agree – he’s not stopping anytime soon.
Check out the band’s website for more info; it’s got all of
their albums on it – as well as their tour schedule, if you want to get
your dancing shoes on.
Update
Ry Cooder's 'Flathead'
A note for any musicians looking for a way to sell records in the download era...the deluxe edition of Ry Cooder's new album, "I, Flathead" comes with a 100 page novella. The book gives Cooder the chance to stretch out his memory (and imagination) of 1950s California, and the album allows him to conjure feelings subtly with just a few guitar plucks and a slide. Fans already knew Cooder could turn out an engaging album, but "I, Flathead" is his first attempt at writing a book. Judging by how much fun I had reading it, I bet Cooder had a whole lot more fun writing it, and that makes me think we haven't read the last book from our favorite Santa Monica guitarist-turned-author.
Before producing this interview, I knew Ry Cooder best from his production of the album Buena Vista Social Club, and I'm not the only one. That record and its musicians was embraced around the world and led to a surge of interest in Cuban music. I was a fan of Buena Vista and my father had a copy of Talking Timbuktu, Cooder's collaboration with the late Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure. Now that that I've really explored his catalog, I realize that Ry Cooder is one of the most prolific guitarists this country has produced in the last 61 years. I really liked his early solo albums, Ry Cooder, Paradise and Lunch and Chicken Skin Music and his last three releases, Chavez Ravine, My Name is Buddy, and the most recent, I, Flathead have been educational, enlightening, and enormously entertaining.
Ry Cooder has made a career out of thinking, and acting, outside the box. In the 1970s that got him in trouble with his record label, but in 2008, the industry should be taking notes from him.
-Dan Bloom
Ry Cooder site with Nonesuch Records
"I, Flathead" official site
Buena Vista Social Club site with Nonesuch Records
Buena Vista Social Club documentary website