Ray Benson frontman for the western swing band Asleep at the Wheel Photo: Brio Yiapan

Ray Benson -- the Pennsylvanian who reinvented himself as an iconic Texas musician a half century ago -- has tested positive for coronavirus.

Benson posted that he'd felt tired and went to be tested on March 21. No testing kits were available, so he went home, and then went to be retested last weekend.

"First call this mornin' from lab sayin' you got it," he posted.

The singer and guitarist claimed he doesn't "have the usual symptoms," but still said he's dealing with fatigue and aches.

Benson, 69, is testament to the capacity of reinvention in Texas. He was born in Philadelphia, but fell under the spell of 20th century western swing as a young musician in Philadelphia. He started Asleep at the Wheel, a western swing band around 1970 and then moved to Austin three years later. He's run a Texas institution since then, preserving the work of Bob Wills, Milton Brown and other legends of western swing, while carrying on the tradition with a slightly progressive hippie-ish bent.

Benson has also been a wonderful and sympathetic producer for artists in Texas and beyond.

He struck a sympathetic note in his message. "Stay well," Benson wrote. "This (expletive) is serious."