Ray Stevens CabaRay Group Rates...

An early Sunday morning begins...a couple of hours before sunrise on Mother's Day. A couple of days ago a video clip was posted on Ray's Facebook page which pointed out the seldom publicized group rates for the CabaRay showroom. Group rates, of course, are self-explanatory and given it's early May and the weather is turning for the better it's become customary for businesses to begin promoting travel and tourism to Nashville, TN and the CabaRay is no exception.

Nashville radio personality Bill Cody is seen in the video clip delivering the information about the group rates. Bill also does the announcing on Ray's CabaRay Nashville television series. He makes mention of calling the box office, of course, so you can arrange/finalize the concerts in which your group wants to attend a concert. The box office number can be seen in the video and you can also visit the CabaRay webpage and find the information, too...but the video clip is designed to reach a maximum number of people who may not have the time to explore the webpage and give it a thorough going over. I'm not embedding the clip because of how it impacts the look of the blog entry. I had the video code pasted here and after I previewed the page and how it would appear there was a long gap underneath the video clip and the start of the next paragraph...and I don't think that sort of thing looks too good on a blog page...and so I'm providing a link to the video's Facebook appearance. You can see it by clicking HERE.

In my opening commentary I mentioned that the group rate offer is seldom publicized and I believe the reason for this is due to most of the feedback that shows up on-line revolves around individual experiences at the showroom and a lot of that feedback includes photos and it outnumbers the feedback supplied from those that attended a concert as part of a larger group. There have been instances where feedback from people that have been part of a tourist group has surfaced on the internet...so it isn't like that sort of feedback never happens. I have to often remind myself that not all of Ray's fans, whether they attend a concert as part of a larger group or not, some of the fans aren't internet driven which means they do not feel the desire or the need to jump onto the internet and post their comments/thoughts or photos from their Ray Stevens CabaRay experience.

However, having said that, there happen to be a lot of photos of Ray with those that have attended concerts at the showroom. Inside the piano bar after the show Ray meets and greets those that have attended and he signs autographs and so there's definitely an atmosphere of fan-artist interaction and, as mentioned earlier, it's those very photos that make up a large percentage of feedback on social media. The photos reinforce the family-friendly atmosphere and the photos offer an overview of the multi-generations of fans that appreciate his music and brand of entertainment...at a Ray Stevens concert it isn't unusual to see people from all ages in attendance...and if you happen to be a part of a group or club and want to attend a concert at the CabaRay call their box office for the group rates.

I still do not know when the Country Music Hall of Fame medallion ceremony is to take place. I don't think the information is released publicly, though. It's a private gala, anyway, but once the ceremony has taken place each newly elected member of the CMHOF will receive their plaque. Photos from the gala as well as video clips almost always appear on-line after the ceremony concludes but the actual ceremony itself has never been streamed live. The plaques, as many of you know, are put on display in the rotunda of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Ray was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame this year...the announcement was made on March 18th...but his plaque won't be on display at the Hall of Fame until after the medallion ceremony has taken place.

Prior to the creation of the medallion ceremony each newly elected member of the Country Music Hall of Fame would receive their plaque on national television at the annual CMA Awards; typically to the surprise of the artist being given the honor because it was kept secret until the revelation at the awards show.

The reason I come across eager and anxious for the medallion ceremony is because after it concludes Ray's place in the Hall of Fame will become official...at the moment he's referred to as a Member-Elect (much like politicians who've been elected but haven't taken office yet). So, in a way, the medallion ceremony is like Inauguration Day...and once the medallion process is completed the recipient officially becomes a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame with the unveiling of their plaque during the medallion ceremony...which later goes on permanent display in the rotunda at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

In the lengthy career of Ray Stevens, and this ties in with Mother's Day, he's recorded a few songs about mom but I can't think of any song that traditionally fits the emotional, heartwarming feelings of Mother's Day. In several of his comedy songs he's sang about some wacky wives. In comedy songs in which Ray sings of being the father there's often comical situations revolving around the mom and the kids...a few examples being "The Camping Trip" (1986), "Juanita and the Kids" (1991), "The All-American Two Week Summer Family Vacation" (1993), "We're Having a Baby the Natural Way" (2004), "When the Kids Are Gone" (2005), and "The Cure" (2008).

Let's also recall some other mother references that have appeared in some Ray Stevens comedy songs: "The Dooright Family" (1980) tells the comical story of a traveling gospel show in which Mama Dooright memorably plays piano; "Mama's in the Sky with Elvis" (1987) is a comedy song featuring what's referred to as dark humor...the song is about a wife and mother who happened to have been a fan of Elvis but has since passed away in one of the most bizarre ways imaginable; "Mama Sang Bass" (1997), which I wrote about in previous blog entries (including the one preceding this), is a song in which Ray recalls how his fictional parents both worked at a pharmaceutical factory and how exposure to chemicals and fumes caused Mama and Daddy to switch traditional roles (Mama eventually started growing facial hair) and then on Sunday in church their voices had also began changing which caused Mama to sing bass and Daddy to sing tenor. Ray would do a cover version of "Mother-in-Law" in 2012 for his Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music. If you're familiar with the song you'll know it plays into the 'mother-in-law joke'...detailing how inferior a mother views her daughter's husband. 

On a more serious side of things there's "A Mama and a Papa" (1972) which originally appeared on Ray's gospel album, Turn Your Radio On. As one could imagine it's a song dealing with the importance of having a mother and a father figure in a child's life. Earlier than that Ray recorded "The Little Woman" (1969) and this is a song about a man who comes across an attractive woman who apparently shows interest in him...but loyalty to his wife and children prevent him from going down an adulterous path. It's a lyrically powerful song in my opinion. The politically correct zealots of today as well as feminists have long since defined the slang expression 'the little woman' as being a degrading and condescending phrase but as usual their over-reaction to phrases and words is just that: hysterical over-reaction. "The Little Woman" and "A Mama and a Papa", as far as I know, are the only songs Ray has recorded that fit the traditional formula of a sentimental, traditional Mother's Day song. If any of you can think of any other feel free to let me know.