Live From Austin, TX

It all began with Asleep at the Wheel. Willie Nelson may have done the original Austin City Limits pilot, but the Wheel was the first act to perform on the first episode of the very first season in 1976. Nearly two decades later, they returned to that same stage for a performance that would become one of the most celebrated in the series' storied history. Recorded on October 14, 1992, Live From Austin, TX captures Ray Benson and his band at the peak of their powers — a swinging, rollicking 14-song set that moves from Western Swing barnburners to jazz-inflected shuffles with the confidence of a band that has spent decades making this music its own. Highlights include "Miles and Miles of Texas," "Hot Rod Lincoln," "Boot Scoot Boogie," and a scorching run through "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66." But the performance reaches another level entirely in its second half. Several original members of Bob Wills' Texas Playboys — pioneering electric guitarist Eldon Shamblin, singer Leon Rausch, pedal steel player Herb Remington, and virtuoso fiddler Johnny Gimble — join the Wheel onstage for a series of Wills classics that serve as both a living tribute and a direct passing of the torch. "Corine, Corina," "Roly Poly," "Blues for Dixie," and "Sugar Moon" have rarely sounded more alive. AllMusic called the performance "special," noting that the band is "so relaxed, open, and in the groove" that it stands out even among their finest live recordings. Now on vinyl for the first time, this is Western Swing history you can hold in your hands.