The Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel is the 16th studio album by American country band Asleep at the Wheel. Recorded at Bismeaux Studio in Austin, Texas and Bradley's Barn in Nashville, Tennessee, it was produced by the band's frontman Ray Benson and released on June 5, 2001, by Relentless Nashville, an imprint of Madacy Entertainment Group. The album was issued in the United Kingdom in 2003 by Evangeline Records under the title Take Me Back to Tulsa. Despite its title, The Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel is not a greatest hits collection or other compilation; rather, it features newly re-recorded versions of the some of the band's most popular songs from earlier releases. In addition to the group's regular lineup – which includes debutant John Michael Whitby on piano – the album also features several guest performers, including former steel guitarist Lucky Oceans, Johnny Gimble on mandolin and Huey Lewis on harmonica. The Very Best of Asleep at the Wheel did not register on any record charts, but received a positive reception from critics. Reviewers praised the band's choice of songs, which they agreed served as a good introduction to the group for new listeners. Two songs from the record were nominated for Grammy Awards: "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and "Sugarfoot Rag" for Best Country Instrumental Performance. Background According to Asleep at the Wheel frontman Ray Benson, the main reason the band decided to re-record several of its most popular songs was because many of their original albums were out-of-print, and the band did not own the rights to distribute them. In a feature published in Billboard magazine, the bandleader explained that "not only do we not own our records, but they're not available", adding that it would be impossible to compile the tracks in a greatest hits collection because "All our stuff is scattered over so many labels that won't cooperate". Additionally, Benson added in another interview that he "wasn't happy with how a lot of the original tunes were recorded", and that he wanted to re-record the songs with himself on lead vocals, as the original recordings featured former band members who had departed several years ago. For the release of the album, Asleep at the Wheel signed with Relentless Nashville Records, a new label formed under the Madacy Entertainment Group.