HAAM schedules Ray Benson’s 75th Birthday Bash in Austin, marking the final event he leads

A longtime Austin benefit returns with a milestone year

The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) has set Tuesday, March 17, 2026, for Ray Benson’s 75th Birthday Bash in Austin, a fundraising event built around live performances and donor support for musicians’ healthcare. Organizers describe the 2026 edition as the final Birthday Bash with Benson leading the night.

The annual celebration has become a recurring fixture on Austin’s spring events calendar, tied to HAAM’s broader fundraising model that supports access to affordable healthcare services for working musicians and music professionals in Central Texas.

What the 2026 event includes, and how attendance works

HAAM’s event description outlines an invite-only format featuring live music from Benson and Asleep at the Wheel alongside additional artists, with complimentary food and beverages and fundraising components such as an auction. The organization states that there are two ways to guarantee an invitation: becoming a table sponsor or joining HAAM’s Pearl Society membership program.

• Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
• Format: Invite-only fundraising event
• Guaranteed access: Table sponsorship or Pearl Society membership
• Programming elements: Live music and a silent auction

Financial scale and recent results

HAAM reported that the 2025 Birthday Bash raised $305,648 and drew more than 1,400 attendees. The organization has positioned proceeds from the event as support for its healthcare-access mission, including navigation and assistance intended to help eligible musicians obtain medical services.

In 2026, the event is framed as a milestone celebration—Benson’s 75th birthday—alongside a shift in HAAM’s event planning that will change after this cycle.

What comes next after 2026

HAAM has also indicated that it plans to transition to a new signature event in 2027. While details of that replacement event have not been fully laid out in the available materials, the statement signals a structural change to one of HAAM’s most visible annual fundraisers following the 2026 edition.

Benson, the longtime frontman of Asleep at the Wheel, has been tied to the benefit for years as both host and performer, and is identified by HAAM as a founding board member. For HAAM, the 2026 bash functions both as a fundraising mechanism and as a high-profile convening point for donors, partners, and musicians connected to the organization’s healthcare support work in Austin.