He was also influenced by the music his African-American friends sang in the cotton fields and later by Hispanic musicians in New Mexico. And he was influenced by “swing” music—an offshoot ...

The real Jewish king of country music, however, is Ray Benson, the nine-time Grammy-winning leader of the country western swing band Asleep at the Wheel. At 6-foot-7, Ray Benson has been described ...

In 1970, singer and guitarist Ray Benson formed Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel ... In other words, you had to be from Alabama to sing country music. Or you had to be from New York to ...