Ray Benson

Now the longest-running music series in American television history, ACL showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre.

An unsung pioneer of 1970s Texas Progressive Country, Steven Fromholz had a knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Revered by legends like Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett & John Denver, he remained commercially unknown. He sought redemption on the Rio Grande as a river guide until a debilitating stroke erased his musical memory, stripping Fromholz of his artistic identity. With an almost obsessive persistence bolstered by newly discovered archives as well as never-before-heard recordings, this intimate and impressionistic portrayal unveils the evolution of Fromholz, and reshapes the notion of success and artistic fortitude.

As a child, Michael Walker wished every day could be Christmas. That is, until a tragic accident crushed his holiday spirit. Thirty years later, Michael still can't muster any joy for the holidays, despite encouragement from his playful wife and well-intentioned parents. But when his young son faces a tragedy, Michael needs to make amends with his past. A mysterious man named Nick gives Michael a gift and instills in him the courage to find the joy that he lost.

A half-hour series that presents performances by and interviews with some of the best Lone Star State talents. There's no discrimination here, as both up-and-coming artists and veteran acts perform.

A despondent Vietnam veteran in danger of losing his livelihood is pushed to the edge when he sees Vietnamese immigrants moving into the fishing industry in a Texas bay town.

Soon after a country singer moves in with her band's new manager, he's found slain and she's a suspect.

A true story about the unreal life of an unsung country music hero. Ben Dorcy, aka Lovey, the first and oldest roadie, is recognized by the cultural icons who depend on him just as he’s losing his independence. Having outlived all his relatives, Ben learns he can rely on his music family. Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Knoxville, Kinky Friedman, Jamey Johnson, Ann-Margret, and more come together to honor this legend among legends who, unbeknownst to many, shaped Texas and American music history. “King of the Roadies” celebrates all who work to keep the wheels turning behind-the-scenes; and reminds us that with spirit, passion and perseverance, our best days may still be ahead of us if we continue doing what we love. “It’s one thing to have a bunch of good ideas, but to make them work and to put them into action, you need someone like Ben to do it, and he never failed.” – Willie Nelson

Based on true events. On the edges of Las Vegas, 17-year-old Andrew's life is spiraling out of control. Unable to cope with the loss of his father, Andrew's descent into drugs and violence is gaining momentum, and the once promising young man is now headed for self-destruction. Andrew's mother, helpless to control her son and fighting an addiction of her own, refuses to watch idly as her only child destroys himself. As a last resort, she hires a private company to forcibly kidnap and confine him in a locked-down and corrupt psychiatric hospital. As Andrew is subjected to the secret physical and emotional abuses of the program something inside him is re-awakened. He must somehow get free to save what's left of his life, but to do that, he knows he must first face his own demons head-on.

Traditional Western swing and good ol' fashioned honky-tonk music just doesn't get any better than this. With a short run of 15 performances in 2007, the Last of the Breed tour united Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price to celebrate their elder-statesmen status as Country Music Hall of Famers with over 150 years of shared experience between them.

Two salesman go to Nevada to exploit nuclear protesters and end up finding something more.

The story of Doug Sahm, the wild man musicians' musician and unsung hero of Texas music. A country music child prodigy and teenage rhythm & blues dynamo who caused a riot at his San Antonio high school, Sahm emerged as an international rock star leading the Sir Douglas Quintet. He landed in San Francisco just in time for the Summer of Love in 1967. He returned to Texas as the cowboy hippie rocker who built a burgeoning music scene in Austin in before forming the Tex-Mex supergroup The Texas Tornados. A kinetic, quirky character with a solid sense of place as well as an innate wanderlust, Doug Sahm’s story is the story of Texas music.

Barbecue is a religion in Texas, and this droll documentary takes a look at some of the colorful characters who live and die for this culinary art. Narrated by former Gov. Ann Richards, the film covers everything from the Church of the Holy BBQ and the Great Texas Mosquito Festival to a zealous group of University of Texas students who lead "barbecue missions." Interviews with Dan Rather, Kinky Friedman and other famous Texans are included.

Come share the story of a young tree named Small Pine who had big hopes. One very special Christmas he and his friends Wrenifred, the bird; the rabbit, Harrison Carter Rutherford III; Doemenique, the deer; and the Princess Arabella learned that the real joy comes from giving of ourselves to help others.

Award-winning comedian Rich Hall takes a country music journey from Tennessee to Texas to look at the movements and artists that don't get as much notoriety but have helped shape the genre over the years. With the help of prominent performers and producers including Michael Martin Murphey, Robbie Fulks and Ray Benson, Rich explores the early origins of country music in Nashville and Austin. He visits the rustic studios where this much-loved sound was born and discovers how the genre has reinvented itself with influences from bluegrass, western swing and americana.

Once upon a time...it all began with Asleep at the Wheel. Willie Nelson may have done the original Austin City Limits pilot show, but "The Wheel" was the first act to perform on the first episode of the very first season in 1976. Over three decades later they still deliver their own special brand of jazz-inspired Western Swing to avid fans of every description coast-to-coast. The other half of the very first show also featured a historic reunion of the original members of Bob Wills Texas Playboys. What makes this particular program, recorded October 14, 1992, so special is that several of those original Playboys return to perform with Asleep at the Wheel. Pioneering electric guitarist Eldon Shamblin, singer Leon Rausch, pedal steel player Herb Remington and virtuoso fiddler Johnny Gimble wail away on such Wills' classics as "Corine, Corina," "Roly Poly," and "Blues for Dixie." Goosebumps are guaranteed.