February 28, 2022

Ray Stevens: Amazon Top-100 Best Seller...

Hello to all of the Ray Stevens fans!! In a couple more weeks Ray will open up the CabaRay for the 2022 concert season. I was over on Amazon a couple of minutes ago and discovered that Ray's current album, Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore, is among the Top-100 Best Sellers at number 49 this hour. I don't know if the album had reached a higher position today and is on it's way back down or if it's on it's way upward. It's in the Country section, CD/Vinyl format. The exposure Ray got over the weekend with his guest appearance on the nationally televised Huckabee show is responsible for the uptick on the Amazon list. A partial selection of the album's cover photo was seen on a television monitor on Mike Huckabee's studio set throughout Ray's interview; plus, Ray sang one of the songs from the album, "Disorder Down on the Border". The video upload of Ray singing the song from the show is on YouTube. I also embedded it in my previous blog entry. As of this writing that specific YouTube video has gotten over 4,200 unique views. The social commentary ballad, "Where Are All the Twelve-Year-Olds?", has gotten more than 2,300 unique views. The eye catching title of "Disorder Down on the Border", obviously, has driven more notice to that particular upload. The audio of the song that Curb Records uploaded onto YouTube has gotten more than 3,000 online plays. The Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore album was released in October 2021 and I wrote several blog entries tracking the Top-100 positions of the album on Amazon's New Releases list. The albums first release, a music video for "Hoochie Coochie Dancer", reached nearly 220,000 people on YouTube. I don't know if Ray will release an official music video of "Disorder Down on the Border" or not...the live performance on Huckabee's show may serve as the official video. One thing I'm trying to find out is what upcoming album the social commentary song, "Where Are All the Twelve-Year-Olds", is going to be on...if any. It might be a song that isn't going to appear on any album and may exist only as a performance on Huckabee's show. 

February 27, 2022

Ray Stevens sings "Where Are All the Twelve Year Olds?"...

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! Well, Saturday night Ray Stevens guest starred on the Huckabee television series. The show airs Saturday and Sunday nights. The first airing happened yesterday on Trinity Broadcasting Network. Some may have this channel and some may not. If you have it the channel will be listed as TBN on your line-up. In Ray's appearance he sang one song from his current comedy album, Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore, titled "Disorder Down on the Border", and a brand new song not on any album yet...a song called "Where Are All the Twelve Year Olds?. The episode was taped without an audience...the reason for that is explained in the opening by Huckabee. He reveals that he and his wife were diagnosed with COVID. Ray, as you may recall, appeared on Huckabee last year right around the time his current comedy album was released...filling in for announcer, Keith Bilbrey. Also, if you recall, in that episode he didn't sing and he wasn't interviewed...he did the announcing and that was it. Well, whenever last night's episode was taped, Keith was on hand as the announcer and Mike Huckabee was there, since he's the host of the show, and Ray was among the guests. As mentioned he sang two songs and was interviewed. I'm embedding the interview first. Mike Huckabee appears in a different location while Ray appears in the television studio. 


The all new song deals with the changes that have taken place in society over the last 20 plus years. Ray laments that many kids, today, have things handed to them rather than working for what they want. He wonders why kids today aren't motivated to have after school/summer break jobs and save up for the latest hi-tech gadget rather than it being bought for them by their parents. A diminishing work ethic with a handout attitude is pervasive in the country's youth and younger adults. It's a great ballad...a social commentary ode to the dying American work ethic...

Now, then, here's the brand new Ray Stevens song, "Where Are All the Twelve Year Olds?"...

February 17, 2022

Ray Stevens: 2008 Interview and Performance...

Hello you all...I'm sure some of you Ray Stevens fans have seen the video clip from 2008 by now. In it Ray speaks a little bit about his approach to songwriting and then he performs an abbreviated version of "Mr. Businessman". The footage comes from a television special that I'd seen brand new in 2008 called Legends and Lyrics. When the television special originally aired I took a lot of pictures with a cell phone I had at the time...sent them to my computer and then edited them for presentation. I no longer have those photos on my computer...but when you watch the video clip you'll see the origins of those long gone screen caps. 2008 marked the 40th anniversary of "Mr. Businessman"...but I'm not sure if that's the reason that particular song was singled out to highlight. The television special aired the very same year that I began this fan-created blog entry. I may have blogged about this television special in 2008 or I may have began this blog several months after that television special aired; if so, I don't believe I would've written a blog focusing on it.


Ray was in his previous recording studio when he provided that commentary and performance. Who knew in 2008 that 10 years later he'd have a sprawling music venue on the outskirts of Nashville called the CabaRay and in an all new recording studio within the CabaRay. Who knew in 2008 that he'd embark on a television series, CabaRay Nashville?? Who knew in 2008 that 11 years later he would find himself being elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame? In a little over a month from now Ray Stevens will return to the concert stage at the CabaRay. I'll blog more about this once we get closer to opening night.   

February 15, 2022

Ray Stevens sings "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" at Telethon...

Hello all you fans of Ray Stevens!! I was aware of this video upload several weeks ago but I was waiting until Ray added it to his official YouTube channel before I embedded it. The video is from 1985 and it's Ray Stevens singing "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" at a Cerebral Palsy telethon. I looked up the telethon and couldn't find too much about it...as you'll see in the video clip Ray's singing at the Grand Ole Opry. There's a series of telephone numbers...of course they've long since been disconnected. The only thing I've been able to find out is there was a Cerebral Palsy telethon that took place in 1985...airing in the latter part of January...called Weekend with the Stars Telethon. The telethon ran 21 hours. I am making the assumption that Ray's performance comes from that particular telethon. National telethons almost always have cut-away location segments from other parts of the country...and in the Nashville segment Ray Stevens was featured. Now, if this performance does indeed come from that January 1985 telethon, then "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" was in it's early stages of single availability. It was issued as a single late in December of 1984 after some country and pop disc jockeys began playing the song from Ray's album, He Thinks He's Ray Stevens. It wasn't meant to be a single but it was becoming a top requested song...so much so that an official single was released and by the end of January 1985 it was on the national charts...it's a song that still remains part of Ray's set-list in his concerts to this day.

February 10, 2022

Ray Stevens: The Online Valentine's Discount Sale...

Hello all you fans of Ray Stevens!! Have you been shopping on Ray's online store? The Valentine's Discount Sale is currently underway...it began on February 4th and runs through February 14th. There's a 15 percent discount on all items...this includes CDs, DVDs, clothing, hats, T-shirts, books...any item for sale at his online store will be marked down 15 percent. Some of the items, in my opinion, may become unavailable for purchase as the year moves on as I think Ray will add in a lot more merchandise. Sometimes these discount sales lead to an overhaul of the inventory. Some items that have been a feature in the online store may make way for all new products. One never knows. As of now there's a wide variety of items to choose from. Some people wait for these kinds of discount sales to take place so they can purchase some of the more expensive items at a discount price. The 9-CD Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music, for example, is an item that's available but the sales price is no longer visible. When you visit his online store you'll see that there isn't a list price. A price will appear once a customer adds it to their shopping cart. I purchased my copy in 2012. This marks the 10th anniversary of that mammoth box set's release. Time flies!! You can access Ray's online store by clicking HERE

In the CD section you'll see the releases listed from most recent to oldest. Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore is his most recent album...preceded by Iconic Songs of the 20th Century, a 4-CD box set. Ray returns to the concert stage next month...the CabaRay will kick off it's 4th season. I don't know what the rest of this month holds in store. I don't know if Ray will put out any new recording, music video, or release any news concerning upcoming album releases or if he'll wait until the day of the CabaRay's first concert of the new season to release that kind of information. The moment I hear of upcoming music or appearances from Ray Stevens I'll be blogging about it. 

February 4, 2022

Ray Stevens: "Hoochie Coochie Dancer" nearing 220,000...

Hello once again all you fans of Ray Stevens! Earlier today on Ray's social media there were a couple of promo posts for the upcoming 2022 concert season at the CabaRay. The concerts return March 19th and this season they'll take place on Thursday and Saturday. In season's past, Friday and Saturday were usually concert days...but Thursday concerts aren't entirely new...if I recall correctly the first season of CabaRay concerts in 2018 took place on Thursday and Saturday. March 19th and 26th both fall on a Saturday. In April he has concerts scheduled for every Saturday...the Thursday night concerts begin April 21st. The remainder of the year Thursday and Saturday will be concert night at the CabaRay

Ray's music video, "Hoochie Coochie Dancer", a video of a song from his current comedy album, Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore, is nearing 220,000 unique views on YouTube. The last time I checked in on the music video was December 20, 2021 and it had 195,256 unique views. The specific total number of unique views as of this writing is 214,183. It's a pickup of 18,927 unique views in a little more than a month's time. 


It's a fun music video as I've said often. It hit YouTube back in October of 2020. Now, as far as the CabaRay concerts are concerned here's a video advertisement with even more information...