Kenny Lee Benson
Vocals, Keyboard, Accordion, Harmonica

When I was in my early 20s I decided to quit playing country music in the beer
joints and honky tonks of New Mexico and study music "seriously." I left
Albuquerque and moved to Boston to go to music school. After two semesters I ran
out of money and did what came natural... playing country music in beer joints
and honky tonks. This time in the Northeast. In spite of playing with some
wonderful people and players (including the legendary Sleepy LaBeef), I came to
the realization that no matter where I was, I was always playing the "the worst place
in town" and decided to get the hell out of Dodge. Torn between moving to
Nashville and Los Angeles (I had an "ex" in Texas), I let my record collection decide
for me. Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Brian Ahern, Byron Berline, Albert Lee
and Chris Hillman were all in California and making the kind of records I wanted
to make, so I packed up and moved there. Once again, I went to school and
studied arranging and orchestration with Dick Grove in Studio City, California (my
current home). One night after playing music at a friend's house, the guitar player
and I stood in the parking lot and talked about country music until the wee hours
of the morning. We found that we had a mutual passion for Bob Wills, Asleep at
the Wheel, Guy Clark and, of course, Emmylou Harris; we decided that we should
put a band together just for "laughs." Little did I know that the band would become
a major part of my life and that I'd be working with Lindy Rasmusson almost 20
years later! Not only have I been blessed to work in what has always been a very
inventive, unique and ever-evolving band, I've had the privilege of working with
many of my musical heroes. We're sometimes asked what keeps us going or if we
get "frustrated." The most frustrating thing that I can think of is not following your
dream. I make my humble living doing what I love to do. As long as we're making
great music, I can't imagine doing anything else. I guess I'm just lucky.

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