ray benson (born march 16, 1951 ) is an american country singer. he has been the singer and leader of the band asleep at the wheel since it was founded in 1969. with the band, benson has released 20 albums and won 9 grammy awards. in 2003, he released his first solo album. benson is also a producer. he has worked on albums and singles for dale watson, suzy bogguss, aaron watson, carolyn wonderland, willie nelson, aaron neville, brad paisley, pam tillis, trace adkins, merle haggard, and vince gill.