Ray Stevens: The Boots Randolph Project...

It's me once more!! The re-release of the 1990 Boots Randolph album, Boots, is now available at the Ray Stevens on-line store. It became available a couple of days ago on October 27th. It's being sold in CD format. The original release in 1990 was sold over television...and I've posted the commercial in previous blog entries. There's the original commercial from 1990 that I shared and then a new commercial (featuring video footage from 1990) was uploaded onto Ray's YouTube channel last month. This new commercial features a voice-over from Ray detailing the re-release of Boots and the inclusion of three additional recordings not part of the original release in 1990. The re-release features 23 saxophone recordings. You can order your CD when you click HERE. In the video embed below Ray Stevens and Boots Randolph, from early 1990, discuss the release of the original Boots album on Nashville Now, hosted by Ralph Emery. The 2020 re-release of Boots with the three additional recordings is in recognition of it's 30th anniversary.

The saxophone legend passed away in 2007, a month after turning 80 (June 3, 1927 - July 3, 2007). Boots, in addition to his own career, played saxophone on a lot of recording sessions...he was also the owner and primary performer of a nightclub in Nashville on Printers Alley for 17 years (1977-1994). He was also something of a resident musician at a jazz music nightclub called The Carousel, a club he would eventually purchase...it sat right across the street from his own, main club on Printers Alley. Ray makes mention of Boots and of this nightclub in the 1973 recording of "Nashville". Boots recorded a saxophone version of The Coasters hit, "Yakety Yak", titled "Yakety Sax". Chet Atkins also recorded an acoustic guitar version and titled it "Yakety Axe". The guitar being made of wood inspired him to use the word, axe, in the title. The saxophone recording from Boots Randolph became internationally famous as chase music in the British comedy programs of Benny Hill. In the television series, Hee Haw, there was a recurring segment featuring a group of musicians billed as The Million Dollar Band. The band would appear on a recurring basis for over 10 years. The core members of the band were: Boots Randolph, Danny Davis, Chet Atkins, Floyd Cramer, Charlie McCoy, Jethro Burns, and Roy Clark. Here is the YouTube video clip, uploaded last month, promoting the October 2020 re-release of Boots...