Ray Stevens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ray Stevens | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Harold Ray Ragsdale | |
| Born | January 24, 1939 Clarkdale, Georgia, USA |
|
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Country, Pop, Novelty | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, arranger, pianist | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano | |
| Years active | 1958 – 2005 | |
| Label(s) | NRC, Mercury, Warner Bros., MCA, RCA | |
| Website | RayStevens.com | |
Ray Stevens (born Harold Ray Ragsdale, January 24, 1939, in Clarkdale, Georgia, a small town west of Atlanta) is an American country music and pop singer-songwriter known for his novelty songs. His two most-popular songs are "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak".
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[edit] Career summary
Stevens' recording career began with two singles released on Prep Records, followed by a short stint with Capitol Records. Both these recording contracts were made with the help of Atlanta, Georgia, music maven Bill Lowery. Stevens joined Lowery's National Recording Corporation in 1958, where he also was a member of the NRC staff band, playing numerous instruments, arranging, and doing background vocals. When NRC went into bankruptcy, he signed with Mercury Records, and started a series of hit records in the 1960s that included "Ahab the Arab" and "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving, Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills". The latter of which held the record as the longest title to hit the Top 40 chart until being surpassed in 1981 by the Stars on 45 Medley, whose official title included the titles of 10 other songs because of copyright requirements.
Stevens became a producer and well-known studio musician on the Nashville scene, and recorded hits for Monument, Barnaby, Warner Brothers, MCA and RCA. Perhaps his most famous hit is "The Streak" (1974), which poked fun at the early-1970s "streaking" fad of running nude in public; this was a No 1 in both the UK and the USA. His novelty song "Bridget the Midget (The Queen of The Blues)" made No 2 on the UK chart in 1971.
Stevens' biggest hit was his gospel-inflected single "Everything Is Beautiful" (1970). A plea for love and tolerance during turbulent times in the United States, the song shot to Number 1 there. Stevens has won two Grammy Awards: one for "Everything Is Beautiful" and one for the arrangement of his country and western version of the jazz standard "Misty" (1975). He also recorded a version of Glenn Miller's "In The Mood" in the style of a clucking chicken, under the pseudonym Henhouse Five Plus Too. This was a Top 40 hit in the US and UK.
While perhaps best known for his novelty hits, in addition to "Everything Is Beautiful", he had two more hits in the late 1960's with serious themes: "Unwind" and "Mr. Businessman." Under his own name, there were an equal number of novelty and serious records to reach the Hot 100.
With the popularity of the song "Everything Is Beautiful", Stevens had a variety show on CTV. The Ray Stevens Show appeared in Canada in 1970 and soon appeared in the United States on NBC and the United Kingdom on the BBC. Although it only has eight episodes, it is mostly known for being the show that launched the career of regular cast member Steve Martin.
Ray Stevens was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980. Since the 1980s, Stevens has appeared regularly at the country music performing venue of Branson, Missouri. 2005 was his last year for performances in Branson. Currently, there are no scheduled performances anywhere for the year 2006.
His talents have been showcased in a successful series of videos.
"Gitarzan" was featured on Disc 1 of the Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection.
In late 2006, his theater in Branson, Missouri was sold to RFD-TV and is now called "RFD-TV The Theater" and had its grand opening on March 23, 2007.
[edit] Discography
- The NRC Years 1958-1960
- 1837 Seconds of Humor — 1962
- This Is Ray Stevens — 1963
- Ray 'Ahab the Arab' Stevens and Hal Winters — 1965
- The Best of Ray Stevens — 1967
- Even Stevens(album)Even Stevens — 1968
- Gitarzan — 1969
- Have a Little Talk with Myself — 1969
- Unreal — 1970
- Everything Is Beautiful — 1970
- Ray Stevens Rock & Roll Show — 1971
- Ray Stevens Greatest Hits — 1971
- Viet Cong Done Me Wrong — 1972
- Losin' Streak — 1973
- Nashville — 1973
- Boogity-Boogity — 1974
- Turn Your Radio On — 1974
- Misty — 1975
- The Very Best of Ray Stevens — 1975
- Both Sides of Ray Stevens — 1976
- Just for the Record — 1976
- Feel the Music — 1977
- OPEC, What The Heck? — 1977
- The Many Sides of Ray Stevens — 1977
- The Remarkable Ray Stevens — 1977
- There Is Something on Your Mind — 1978
- Be Your Own Best Friend — 1978
- The Feeling's Not Right Again — 1979
- The Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Collection — 1979
- The Best of Ray Stevens — 1979
- Shriner's Convention — 1980
- Wild and Crazy — 1980
- Oh Lonesome Me — 1981
- One More Last Chance — 1981
- Don't Laugh Now — 1982
- Turn Your Radio On — 1982
- Greatest Hits — 1983
- Me — 1983
- He Thinks He's Ray Stevens — 1984
- Ray Stevens Collection — 1984
- Ray Stevens Greatest Hits — 1984
- I Have Returned — 1985
- Ray Stevens Collector's Series — 1985
- Surely You Joust — 1986
- The Very Best Of Ray Stevens/Roger Miller — 1986
- Crackin' Up — 1987
- Get the Best of Ray Stevens — 1987
- Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Volume 1 — 1987
- Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Volume 2 — 1987
- I Never Made a Record I Didn't Like — 1988
- Beside Myself — 1989
- Funny Man — 1989
- Ray Stevens — At His Best — 1989
- Everything Is Beautiful and Other Hits — 1990
- His All Time Greatest Comic Hits — 1990
- Lend Me Your Ears — 1990
- Saddam Insane — 1991
- #1 with a Bullet — 1991
- Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Volume 3 — 1991
- Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Volume 4 — 1991
- Ahab the Arab — 1992
- Everything Is Beautiful — 1992
- Mississippi Squirrel Revival (Actually a repackaging of 1984's He Thinks He's Ray Stevens with new title and cover art) — 1992
- Ray Stevens/Jim Stafford — 1992
- The Gospel Side of Ray Stevens — 1992
- A Brighter Day — 1993
- Classic Ray Stevens — 1993
- The Legendary Ray Stevens and Jim Stafford — 1993
- Get Serious! The Original Movie Soundtrack — 1994
- Ray Stevens — 20 Comedy Hits — 1995
- Ray Stevens Live! — 1995
- 3 CD or Cassette Set — 1995
- 3 CD Set — 1995
- Ray Stevens — Everything Is Beautiful — 1996
- Great Gospel Songs — 1996
- Ray Stevens — All-Time Hits — 1996
- Even Stevens — 1996
- Gitarzan — 1996
- Hum It — 1997
- Ray Stevens — The Streak — 1997
- The Best Of Ray Stevens — 1997
- Ray Stevens — Christmas Through a Different Window — 1997
- Ray Stevens — Golden Classics/Collector's Edition — 1997
- Ray Stevens — The Country Hits Collection — 1998
- Ray Stevens: The Last Laugh — 1999
- Ear Candy — 2000
- Thank You — 2000
- Funniest Characters — 2000
- Ray Stevens All-Time Greatest Hits — 2001
- Osama-Yo' Mama, The Album — 2002
- Box Set — 2006
[edit] Awards
- 1969: GOLD Single — "Gitarzan" (over 1,000,000 copies sold)
- 1970: GOLD Single — "Everything Is Beautiful" (nearly 3,000,000 copies sold)
- 1970: GRAMMY — "Everything Is Beautiful" (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance)
- 1974: GOLD Single — "The Streak" (nearly 5,000,000 copies sold)
- 1975: GRAMMY — "Misty" (Best Arrangement of the Year)
- 1980: Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction
- 1984: GOLD Album — "He Think He's Ray Stevens" (over 500,000 sold)
- 1985: GOLD Album — "I Have Returned" (over 500,000 sold)
- 1986: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1986: #1 Country Album Plaque from Billboard — "I Have Returned" (week ending March 15, 1986)
- 1987: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1987: PLATINUM Album — "Greatest Hits" (MCA; over 1,000,000 copies sold)
- 1987: GOLD Album — "Greatest Hits, Volume Two" (MCA; over 500,000 copies sold)
- 1988: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1989: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1990: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1990: GOLD Album — "All-Time Greatest Comic Hits" (CURB; over 500,000 copies sold)
- 1991: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1992: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1992: #1 Home Video Plaque from Billboard — "Comedy Video Classics"
- 1992: TEN TIMES-PLATINUM Home Video — "Comedy Video Classics" (over 1,000,000 copies sold)
- 1993: Billboard Home Video of the Year
- 1993: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1993: PLATINUM Home Video — "Ray Stevens Live!" (over 100,000 copies sold)
- 1994: Music City News Comedian of the Year
- 1995: PLATINUM Home Video — "Get Serious!" (over 100,000 copies sold)
- 1995: Country Weekly Golden Pick Award "Best Comedian"
- 1996: Georgia Music Hall of Fame Induction
- 2002: GOLD Single — "Osama Yo' Mama" (over 500,000 copies sold)
