Dale Watson & Ray Benson present 'Dale and Ray'

Dale Watson and Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel were meant to sing together. Both hailing from Bedsore, TX, Dale and Ray have both individually worked their way through the local honky tonks and beer joints, entertaining crowds with their own Classic Country and Western styles. But, they have never recorded a record together… until now!

“Dale and Ray,” was released in January 2017, and is sure to be a Classic Country Record for the ages. Channeling from the likes of Willie and Merle, The Louvin Brothers, Buck Owens and Don Rich, Dale and Ray will be showcasing their own new original songs like “Bus Breakdown,” “It’s Crying Time Again,” “Dale and Ray,” “Feeling Haggard,” to covers like “Write Your Own Songs” (Willie and Waylon) and “I Wish You Knew” (The Louvin Brothers).

Dale Watson, the unapologetic proponent of old-school honky-tonk music and Bakersfield country, carries on in the tradition of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson with his “Ameripolitan” brand of American roots music, to differentiate it from current crop of Nashville-based pop country. He is a country music maverick, a true outlaw who stands alongside Waylon, Willie and George Strait as one of the finest country singers and songwriters from the Lone Star State.

Ray Benson, front man and founder of the nine-time Grammy-winning western swing band Asleep at the Wheel has released over twenty albums and has charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard country charts. They have received six Austin Music Awards, including Band of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (Benson), Country Band of the Year, Record Producer of the Year (Benson), Male Vocals of the Year (Benson), and Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year(McQueen). Benson was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame and was given the Texas Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

Watson and Benson both sing harmonies and share lead vocals. “Our vocal range is perfect for each other,” Benson says. “We understand each other and know the history of the music, so we don’t have to explain it to each other." Watson plays lead guitar with Benson on rhythm. The band members are The Wheel’s fiddler, Dennis Ludiker, and the rhythm session of Watson’s Lone Stars - Don Pawlak, steel guitar; Mike Bernal, drums; and Chris Crepps, upright bass.

Get ready to see and hear Country’s newest sound from Texas!