10th Anniversary of my Ray Stevens blog...

Although technically this fan created Ray Stevens blog reached it's 10th anniversary last month I never posted much, if anything that I can recall, about it...I certainly never created a blog entry spotlighting the fact...but today I was doing my usual on-line searches and surfing and decided to take a look in the archive section of this blog. Seeing that I never posted a blog entry specifically celebrating (?) the milestone I decided to title this blog entry as such even though I'm not going to be spotlighting my own previous blog entries. This fan-created blog was created by me in 2008 to spotlight, celebrate, inform, teach, and show appreciation for all things Ray Stevens to anybody that happened to come across the blog during their own surfing of the internet. In addition to those reasons one of the main reasons for the blog's creation was to confront on-line inaccuracy pertaining to Ray's career, highlight the inaccuracy on this blog, and then correct whatever inaccuracy I happened to come across in my on-line searches. I've never pushed the blog on anybody and the promotional effort is next to non-existent on my part. Whenever I post a blog entry I'll share a link to a social media site but then that's it. I don't over saturate social media sites with links to my blog. I'm well aware that I could possibly have thousands upon thousands of hits and clicks but I prefer the low-key nature that I've enjoyed the last 10 years.

Speaking of anniversaries and milestones...this particular vinyl album from Ray Stevens hit 40 this year. There are some internet sites that state 1977 as the year this project was released but I've never seen any vinyl image showcasing that to be accurate. The vinyl copy I have clearly shows 1978 as it's year of release. On the back of the album cover (which I don't have a photo of) and located on the lower right hand side gives 1978 as the year this album was released...and so I don't know why there's some sites out there giving inaccurate information...but there again that's one of the reasons I began this blog 10 years ago. There is so much inaccurate information surrounding the career of Ray Stevens that I felt inspired to create this blog to combat all the inaccuracy I'd come across. This album is titled There Is Something On Your Mind and it's a covers album where Ray performs his versions of Rhythm and Blues songs. The writing you see above the album's photo is Ray's introduction/commentary as to the reason for the album. On the back of the album Ray gives his thoughts about the songs and offers extensive, music-oriented commentary on the recordings. The album is unusual in the fact that there are only eight recordings...a far cry from the standard 11 or 12 that was typical for LP's of that time period. Although there are only eight recordings three of those are medley performances and so as far as the length of time is concerned it runs pretty close to the average 11 or 12 song LP. The songs that get the Ray Stevens treatment are:

Side One:
1. Dance Trilogy ("Do You Wanna Dance?", "When You Dance", and "Save The Last Dance For Me")
2. Talk to Me
3. One Mint Julep
4. Old Faithful Trilogy ("Shake a Hand", "Since I Met You Baby", and "Always")

Side Two:
1. Money Honey
2. Banned In Boston Trilogy ("Sixty Minute Man", "Work With Me Annie", and "Annie Had a Baby")
3. Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash
4. There is Something on Your Mind

In 1995 Warner Brothers issued a three volume collection of songs recorded by Ray Stevens during his three year stay at the label (1976-1979). In the credits contained in those 1995 releases it states that the recordings found on this 1978 album were previously unreleased. At the time I didn't have any of Ray's vinyl albums and I didn't know the names of any of his albums prior to 1984 and so I thought the songs credited as previously unreleased meant that they had never appeared on any album until 1995. To this day I don't know why those 1995 compilation albums (Cornball, Do You Wanna Dance?, and The Serious Side of Ray Stevens) inaccurately stated the recordings from this 1978 album were previously unreleased.

Tracks two and four on Side Two of There is Something On Your Mind weren't included in the three volume 1995 compilation project. As a result I never heard those two recordings until I obtained the 1978 vinyl album for my personal collection at some point in the early 2000s.

One of the overlooked aspects of the album was the lack of a lengthy roster of musicians. If you look at the musician credits you'll see that Ray, Reggie Young, and Jack Williams played on every recording but then you'll notice that on two of the recordings credit for the drummer is split between Jerry Kroon and Jerry Carrigan while acoustic guitar is credited on two of the recordings to either Johnny Christopher or Mark Casstevens.

Mark Casstevens and Jerry Kroon are credited on two of the eight recordings as acoustic guitarist and drummer respectively ("Old Faithful Trilogy" and "Money Honey"). The musicians for the other 6 recordings consisted of Ray (keyboards, piano, synthesizers, percussion, background vocals), Reggie Young (electric guitar), Jack Williams (bass), Jerry Carrigan (drums), and Johnny Christopher (acoustic guitar).

Ray Stevens obscure 1978 cassette...

It's me once more! For those that have read my blog posts over the last 6 years or so you're familiar with the excitement I often display upon seeing something obscure, rare, or hard to find (all synonyms, yes!) pertaining to Ray Stevens. This time around it's a 1978 cassette copy of There Is Something On Your Mind!! Talk about obscure!! It's often hard to find in vinyl...seeing a cassette copy is almost unheard of...but yet a cassette copy of the album appears on eBay.

I never post links to eBay anymore because I've long become well aware of the fluid nature of the site...once an item is purchased or taken off the site by it's seller the link I provide will no longer be active. I found that out by looking through my archived posts several years ago and clicking on the links I embedded only for a blank error page to open up or a page informing me that the product is no longer listed/available. I'm sure other links that I've posted become that way during the passage of time but more so if the link is tied to an auction site.

If you're interested in seeing or possibly bidding/purchasing this rare cassette do a search on eBay of "Ray Stevens + cassette tapes" and select the newly listed option or you can go a general search for "Ray Stevens + There is Something On Your Mind". It'll be among the first results. The listing debuted on September 10th...so it's been nearly 2 weeks since it appeared. I just discovered it today. The 1978 album features Ray's excellent covers of vintage rhythm and blues songs from the '50s and '60s by groups such as The Clovers, The Drifters, and solo artists such as Ray Charles, Bobby Marchan, and Bobbie Freeman. The title track had originally been recorded in 1959 by a saxophonist named Big Jay McNeely and his release featured vocals by an artist named Little Sonny Warner. The appeal of Ray's 1978 album, aside from it's main appeal of it being an album by Ray Stevens, is that the material Ray chose to cover wasn't limited to the smash hits of Rhythm and Blues that crossed over to pop music radio. The album goes a long way at spotlighting songs that didn't cross-over and become million selling pop hits.

The asking price for the cassette is $24.99 or best offer...but clearly the seller realizes that the rare, obscure nature of this product may be of value to fans of Ray Stevens. As usual read carefully before making any purchase or any bids on auction sites and ask the seller questions that can't be replied by a simple "yes" or "no". The products are previously owned by others and aren't typically in pristine, crisp condition but an honest, serious eBay seller will not risk his or her reputation by selling defective products and so, in theory, the seller should be up-front in their reply. I have the vinyl copy and it features some superb liner notes about every song and it includes a summary/commentary from Ray as to the reason behind the making of the album. This appears above Ray's photo on the LP version. His commentary/opinions of the songs he chose to cover appear on the back of the album. I can't tell if this feature comes with the cassette as only the photo and track list appear on eBay. There isn't any photo of inside the cassette case on eBay to see if the liner notes are part of the cassette copy or not. I doubt they are...one of the allures of the vinyl album is getting features exclusive to the vinyl release...shifting gears from 1978 to present-day 2015...

As you all should be aware of Ray's been on a mini-tour lately. He's performed a series of concerts (typically 2 or 3 per month) going back to the start of summer. The tour is named for his current CD, Here We Go Again!, even though there is plenty of current merchandise from Ray Stevens that no doubt is also being sold to concert goers, too. One such item being the memoir, Ray Stevens' Nashville. If it's not being sold at the merchandise table then purchase it from his on-line store or on Amazon.

Here We Go Again! Concert trail...

After the September 19th concert tomorrow at The Alabama Theatre in Myrtle Beach, SC Ray is going to be extremely busier than usual. If you're a member of his mailing list you should have gotten some e-mails about some of the happenings that are going to be taking place next week. It revolves around the television program that he's putting together. Search some of my earlier blog posts to read about the project. Ray closes out the month of September making a guest appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on September 26th. As mentioned in a previous blog entry I assume Ray is going to announce more information about the television program he's working on during the Opry appearance.

The activity doesn't stop there...in early October look for more concert appearances from Ray. He'll be in Bowling Green, KY at the SKyPAC venue on October 2nd. According to the publicity reports it's a near sell-out. An ad for the concert has aired on YouTube to promote the concert. I had posted the video back on September 3rd but the uploaders have since made that video private (if you come across that embed it'll now state that it's private) but they've re-uploaded the ad and made the video public again due to the concert getting closer and here it is...



The very next day, October 3rd, he'll be performing 2 concerts in Pigeon Forge, TN at the Country Tonite Theatre. The first concert is at 3pm and the second is at 8pm.

Ray Stevens...There's Something On Your Mind...

A few blogs ago I spotlighted an obscure Ray Stevens album titled There Is Something On Your Mind from 1978. The album contains eight tracks and it features Ray's versions of R&B songs of the '50s. I had a request to transcribe the commentary that appears on the album given how obscure the project happens to be. On eBay there's an 8-track copy of this album...I purchased my copy on-line several years ago. It's a vinyl copy as you can see...I don't believe it's ever been issued on cassette and it definitely hasn't been issued on CD...

Ray provides commentary about each and every track. This commentary appears on the back of the album which I'll post an image of later. Above the picture on the front of the album there's more commentary...but this is more or less a greeting than an actual commentary about the material contained within the album. Some may wonder who the woman standing behind Ray is...I have no idea. Perhaps it's a model that Warner Brothers found? The image appears as if they're looking through a window. The album's title may be a bit misleading for those who've never heard the song before. Some may think it's a romantic song going by the title...but it's not exactly a romantic song...oh, there's romance within the context of the story but as far as it being a lush, softly sung performance it's nowhere near that!

The following is a copy of what appears on the front of the album...

"I'm not a nostalgia nut but I guess, along with everyone else, I'm a little tired of hearing, with rare exception, nothing but parodies of the '50s music. True, a few of the hits deserve nothing but a tongue in cheek treatment, but then maybe every era is vulnerable to ridicule from somebody's point of view. Be that as it may, I have had the desire to record some of the old '50s songs for some time now minus the "grease" and "doo-wop"! A lot of the lyrics are still relevant and the ideas expressed poignant and communicative to any generation. I have tried to present this collection of 'oldies' with as much sincere appreciation for merit as reality will allow. I grew up with these songs and they played in the background of my formative years as a singer and musician. I like these songs. Some of the lyrics are not what you could call 'heavy' but they translate into a feeling that reads between the lines...to me, anyway. I recorded this album in my little studio in Nashville on 24 tracks, using a few musicians that I have known and worked with for years."

-Ray Stevens

Ray mentioned in the greeting that he used a few musicians and this isn't an exaggeration! He really did use just a few musicians on this album. Excluding himself, he used just six musicians...and not all of them played on every song. Jerry Carrigan played the drums on six of the eight tracks. Jerry Kroon played drums on "Money Honey" and "Old Faithful Trilogy". Jack Williams played the bass on every song while Reggie Young played the electric guitar on all the songs. Johnny Christopher played the acoustic guitar on six of the eight tracks...while Mark Casstevens played acoustic guitar on "Money Honey" and "Old Faithful Trilogy". Ray played the keyboards, synthesizer, percussion, and did all of the background vocals. By percussion I assume they mean a vibraphone or other related instruments given that Jerry Carrigan and Jerry Kroon were already credited as the drummers. On the back of the album, as you can see, Ray's picture appears on the top left side while his commentary on all the songs fills up the back of the album.

The following is Ray's commentary for all the songs he recorded for the album...this is what appears on the back of the 1978 album...

Dance Trilogy is a medley of three songs beginning with Do You Wanna Dance which was first recorded by Bobby Freeman. The dominant sounds on his record were bongos and a pounding piano lick. My concept is a little softer while using conga, tumba and quinto instead of bongos and Wurlitzer electric piano (heavy on the vibrato). This segues into one of my favorites, When You Dance, recorded originally by a little known R&B group called The Turbans. This was one of the first records I ever heard where the lead singer broke into falsetto (long before Frankie Valli). When I first heard this record, I remember I ran out and bought it immediately. The last song of this threesome is the old Drifters classic, Save the Last Dance For Me, which came along a little later than the other two but is, I think, a fitting finale.

Talk To Me is, in my opinion, a classic! It was originally recorded by Little Willie John. The lyric is timeless in it's simple direct language and expresses a sincere desire for the ultimate communication of feeling and insights between two people.

One Mint Julep is a song a lot of people not into '50s R&B don't realize was a vocal hit by The Clovers before Ray Charles' organ instrumental version popularized it to a larger pop audience. This song was one of the first songs to 'cross-over' to a teenage audience in 1952.

Old Faithful Trilogy is three songs that pledge devotion and give off good vibes. You may not remember Shake a Hand by Faye Adams until it gets to the chorus but then something in the back of your mind will say... "oh yeah! I've always known that...". Ivory Joe Hunter's Since I Met You Baby with the down-home church piano lick has always been one of my favorites and everybody knows Always.

Money Honey was first recorded by my friend, the late Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters. Clyde, as most people know, was a pioneer in bringing R&B vocal styling to a larger audience. Most of the singers of today who use melismata at all in their vocal delivery owe a debt of thanks to people like Clyde McPhatter. I had the privilege of working with Clyde in a small way in Nashville when I was working for Mercury Records and he came down to record for Mercury in 1963. I saw Clyde again in London years later.

Banned in Boston Trilogy - I believe that these songs were the first to cross-over to the white audience in the early '50s. Sixy Minute Man by The Dominoes was the first R&B song I ever heard. It was banned on several radio stations as being too suggestive to program at that time. This only increased the demand from the teens. Work With Me Annie is the second song of the trilogy. The classic hit by The Midnighters was also banned on most radio stations across the country, and the follow-up, Annie Had a Baby (which is the closing song of the trilogy) was so taboo that I don't believe I ever heard it on the air. This, I'm sure, promoted sales to a certain element of avid record buyers. I decided that Annie Had a Baby should be done more as a lullaby with a straight 8th's feel, breaking into a harder rockier sound from the sheer energy created by the melody and lyric, and coming back down abruptly at the end with the celeste and background vocals creating a sweet sound.

Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash by The Clovers in 1954 is one of the first songs I heard where the lyric was cleverly worded to sound like a comedy play set to music.

There Is Something On Your Mind- Bobby Marchan created such an atmosphere with the recitation sections of this song that I almost didn't do it. However, I decided that if an audience reacted to the delivery, it might bring a new dimension to the material and be welcomed as a fresh recording. I couldn't pass it up!