Asleep at the Wheel have announced a short run of live dates in the UK this September. The band will perform at The Long Road Festival in Lutterworth on the 8th of September, before playing headline shows at London Nell’s on the 9th of September and Leeds Brudenell Social Club on the 10th of September.

Band leader, Ray Benson, who attended AmericanaFest UK back in January with fellow singer and fiddle player, Katie Shore, is bringing over a full band this time. The current Asleep At The Wheel line-up is: founder/leader Ray Benson (lead guitar and vocals), Katie Shore (fiddle and vocals), Eddie Rivers (steel and sax), David Sanger (drums), Dennis Ludiker (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Josh Hoag (bass), Connor Forsyth (piano and vocals), and Jay Reynolds (sax and clarinet).

Ray Benson said: “I’ve been playing music in the UK since our first tour in 1977 and always jump at the opportunity to come over any chance I get. I’m looking forward to showcasing our new record ‘New Routes’. It’s wonderful to see Americana grow worldwide and I’m honoured to be a part of this great genre of music.”

‘New Routes’, the first album of new material from the band in over a decade, marks both a step forward and a nod to the freewheeling roots of this Texan troupe. It follows a decade of collaborating on records with friends, including Willie Nelson on 2009’s Grammy Nominated ‘Willie and the Wheel’ and their critically acclaimed and Grammy winning tribute to the groundbreaking music of Western Swing pioneer Bob Wills in 2015, titled ‘Still the King’ which featured 22 collaborations with artists like George Strait, The Avett Brothers, Merle Haggard and Amos Lee.

Asleep At The Wheel are renowned for their ability to blend both new and familiar country sounds, alongside jazz, jump blues, rockabilly, Western Swing and folk, and the latest album offers a mixture of original songs and covers, It also features a guest vocal appearance by Seth and Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers.

Ray Benson has been the one constant in Asleep At the Wheel since the band’s inception in 1970 in Paw Paw, West Virginia. Since that time, more than 100 musicians have passed through the band, but Benson remains the frontman and both the literal and metaphorical driving force behind this musical turn. In the process, the band has released more than 25 albums, earned 10 Grammy Awards, an Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award, Academy of Country Music Award, Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction, and racked up millions of miles on the road.

Asleep At The Wheel Tour Dates:
SUN 08 SEP, Long Road Festival, Lutterworth
MON 09 SEP, Nells, London
TUES 10 SEP, Brudenell Social Club, Leeds