Ray Stevens: Larry's Country Diner 2022 appearance...

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! RFD-TV recently (last night) aired the Ray Stevens episode of Larry's Country Diner that originally was broadcast back in October 2022. The episode happened to be the final first-run episode of the series. I was not aware that the episode was going to be re-airing and so when I got home from work Thursday night and began checking various online sites that I visit I learned that Ray's episode had aired yesterday evening. 

I did a program guide search and learned that it'll re-air again a couple more times over the weekend. I set my DVR to tape the April 1st 11pm airing...but then I found out that the full episode had been uploaded on the official Larry's Country Diner YouTube page. So, what I plan on doing, is embedding the video in this blog entry for those of you that want to watch it online and then watch it myself Saturday night when I get home from work. I know the song selections due to their having been uploaded to several music streaming sites...but the interview portions and the overall atmosphere of the show is something you receive when you watch the show in it's entirety. 

Some of the songs Ray sings on this episode are: "Cup Holders", "Bubba Changed His Name to Charlene", and "Where Are All The 12 Year Old's?". As I watch the show I'll be taking some notes and then write out my official review/overview of the episode in a future blog entry. In the meantime here's the last first-run episode of Larry's Country Diner...with Ray Stevens as the special guest...

Ray Stevens: The "Boogity Boogity" YouTube Playlist

One of the albums in the legendary career of Ray Stevens that will always get a lot of focus happens to be 1974's comedy album, Boogity Boogity. Now, if you look at the album cover, you won't see the album title unless you take a look at the dust clouds on the lower right. The album, particularly on eBay and other online stores, is often mistakenly called Woosh!! given the prominent appearance of that phrase in the airbrushed portion of Ray's photo. The album is officially titled Boogity Boogity which happens to be a recurring phrase heard in "The Streak". In an example of where you'll hear the phrase: "here he comes (boogity boogity), there he goes (boogity boogity)...". The phrase is also performed by his backup singers at the end of almost every line in the song's chorus...and in other places in the song. The album, released in 1974, contains 9 comedy songs. The centerpiece of the album was obviously "The Streak" and much of the publicity surrounded that particular single. It was on this date in 1974 that Barnaby Records issued "The Streak" as a single. The fad of streaking (running around with no clothes on in public) dominated the local and national newscasts for most of 1974 although some archive news reports indicate streaking was something that had been happening randomly in and around college campuses for a few years but it wasn't until 1974, and the airing of the Oscar Awards telecast, that the fad became an almost daily, non-stop national news item. A streaker ran across the stage during a live Oscar telecast as David Niven was speaking at the podium. I've come across websites that debate whether or not the streaking was spontaneous or if it was planned by the production staff as an effort to generate a lot of post-Oscar publicity, not only for the ceremony, but for the Oscar organization itself. 

The argument centers around how the person was able to go from point A to point B, completely naked, with nobody trying to stop him backstage. 

Nevertheless, what happened caught the country by surprise and it launched a series of streaking songs by all types of acts...but, as we all know, it was the Ray Stevens recording that grabbed the attention. Ray has always said that he credits having the hit on streaking simply because he heard of the fad months before it became a national craze and that he had been working on the song prior to putting it out as a single. The actual recording of the song, Ray has often admitted, was rush released since streaking was such a topical issue that they wanted to get it out as soon as possible but the writing of the song, given Ray having had the chance to work on it weeks in advance, was certainly not rushed. "The Streak" hit the top of the Hot 100 in only a matter of weeks and sold more than 5,000,000 copies worldwide. It hit in Canada, The United Kingdom, Australia, and several other English-speaking countries. It was also a hit on the Country music charts and the Adult-Contemporary chart. Practically every mainstream radio format was playing the song at one time or another in the spring of 1974.   

Now, as a longtime fan of Ray, I love all of the songs...not just the ones pushed as single releases. Yes, there was another song on this album that was issued as a single...the wonderful "Moonlight Special", a parody of the television series, Midnight Special. Since it wasn't based on a trend/fad or a topical subject matter it performed as most novelty songs performed in that decade. It sold well but it wasn't embraced in the same manner as "The Streak" happened to be. "Moonlight Special" hit the pop chart for a multi-week run, though. Some of the other songs on the 1974 album are: "Heart Transplant", "Smith and Jones", and "Don't Boogie Woogie". Ray closes the album with a non-comedy song. That song's title, "Just So Proud to Be Here", conjures up thoughts of Minnie Pearl. That was part of her opening line at her performances at the Opry and wherever else she performed. 

When you visit the YouTube playlist of Boogity Boogity you'll find that there's a 1966 video performance of "Freddie Feelgood" among the audio tracks. This 1966 performance from the Dick Clark show, Where The Action Is, was recently uploaded onto YouTube and Ray added it to the playlist. There used to be an audio track there. In keeping with Dick Clark's tradition/preference of lip-sync performances that's what we have in this 1966 appearance by Ray. Freddie's band consists of people playing air-instruments to Ray's vocal track. I don't know where the footage was shot but it's at an outdoors location. Here's the YouTube PLAYLIST. 

Ray Stevens: Upcoming April CabaRay concerts...

Hello there fans of Ray Stevens!! There is one more March concert scheduled at the CabaRay before we flip over to April. A concert this coming Saturday, March 25th. Now, in April, there are 5 concert dates on the calendar. April 1st falls on a Saturday this year...and given the reputation for joking around and for comedy that Ray Stevens has long held it's fun to note that on April Fool's Day (April 1st) the first CabaRay concert of the month will take place. I don't know if Ray will point this out during the concert or not. The concert dates in April will fall on the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th. If you've never been to the CabaRay there are some things you should know ahead of time. The venue opens it's doors a few hours before concert time. The reason for this is because of the piano bar that exists within the building. That area is formally known as The Bill Lowery High Spirits Emporium. It's a bar with all types of beverages but along with it comes the pianist, John Jonethis, who performs inside the piano bar prior to the concert's main doors opening for the evening. Most, if not all, concert goers sit in the piano bar prior to Ray's concert or they walk around the venue and look at the awards, plaques, and trophies Ray has received in his career. There are paintings that line the walls, too. Let's not forget that there's a dinner option, too. If you've ordered a dinner prior to your concert it'll be served an hour before Ray walks out on stage. You don't have to be finished with your food prior to the concert but most people usually want to be. There is also a gift shop available inside...and souvenirs aplenty. There's CDs, books, stuffed animals, shirts, hats, and trinkets like key chains, magnets, shot glasses, and mouse pads. In this era of the laptop and the I-phone a mouse pad may seem obsolete but I have a couple of them. I use them as decorative place mats on my shelf. You can read about the CabaRay and purchase tickets when you click HERE.

Something I've not done in this blog entry is share a link to the Facebook page displaying the fans who have had their pictures taken with Ray. The official Ray Stevens CabaRay Facebook page has a section called Checkin' In With Ray. In this section there are dozens of photos of Ray and fans who've stopped by the CabaRay over the years. You can look at the photos when you click HERE. There are several photos of Ray with other recording artists...Paul Overstreet is one of those you'll see first.

Ray Stevens: A Decade of Red Hot Chili

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! Earlier today on Ray's social media pages the 2013 music video to "Red Hot Chili Cook Off" was spotlighted. In the description it was noted that the music video was nearing 2,000,000 unique views on YouTube. A few minutes after reading the description I went over to YouTube and checked the numbers...and it's with great pleasure to announce that the comedy music video has officially reached that milestone. When I checked the numbers earlier the unique view count was sitting at 2,000,508. I'm sure the video being spotlighted on Ray's social media outlets gave it the boost it needed to break the 2,000,000 mark. 

The video was uploaded to YouTube on March 20, 2013 (a week shy of exactly 10 years ago) and like a lot of online comedy videos from Ray they inch along until reaching half a million, then a million, and then multi-million. The video was promoted early on when it was brand new but like all songs, albums, and music videos a record company and or the recording artist moves on to the next thing several months later...but the music remains to be discovered for years and years to come...as is the case with "Red Hot Chili Cook Off", for example. 

The song was a music video-only release for almost 10 years...finally finding an album to call home...which happens to be 2021's Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore. The chili cook off takes place in the fictional Jalapeno, Texas. Ray samples a lot of Texas chili and has various comical reactions. There's a comical visual twist at the end of the music video...highlighting a unique advantage that video provides to a comedy song. How? Well, not only are laughs or smiles generated by the lyrics but with video there's the opportunity for sight gags that obviously couldn't be replicated on an audio recording. I'm not saying anything profound with this statement but the addition of sight gags make a comedy/novelty song even more amusing.  

Ray Stevens: 1980 with Ralph Emery...

Hello once again all you fans of Ray Stevens!! I was thinking long and hard of what to title this blog entry because in the past I've used a lot of references to the syndicated country music series, Pop! Goes the Country, given that Ray made frequent appearances on the show. The series was hosted by Ralph Emery for nearly 6 full seasons (1974-1980) and then by Tom T. Hall during the final three (1980-1983). This video clip I'm sharing would be from the last series of episodes that Ralph hosted in 1980. From this series Ralph would go on to host a short-lived national series on TBS, Nashville Alive. That series wrapped up in 1982 and then, within a year, he was hosting Nashville Now on The Nashville Network beginning in March 1983 and that lasted a full decade. In this video clip Ray and Ralph discuss the business of making records. Ralph brings up that Ray once produced records on Dolly Parton. Ray tells of how Dolly was recording for Monument Records at the time and that he wanted to promote her as a pop artist. Ray worked behind the scenes while at Monument Records in addition to being a recording artist. 

In addition being a singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, and music arranger Ray Stevens often worked in what's known in the music industry as A and R. 

Ray looked around for songs and listened to demo's of songs...my guess is he'd submit his findings to whatever record producer or record executive that had the final say. Although he doesn't directly say it in the video Ray kind of alludes to that the only downside to being in the A and R department is if the recording artist wants to do their own songs. If a singer happens to be a songwriter or, more often than not, insists on recording their own songs, there usually isn't much compromise and the work of the person tasked to find songs falls by the wayside. But nevertheless Ray talks about being the record producer of several early Dolly recordings...including "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby". Later in the video clip Ray performs an abbreviated "Save Me From Myself", a song from his 1977 album, Feel the Music. He sings the first verse and the chorus. I wish the entire song would've been performed, though, but it's still fun to watch and hear him talk and sing!! It was the birthdate of the late Ralph Emery several days ago and this video clip appeared on Ray's various social media page. 

Ray Stevens: CabaRay 2023 concert season Officially underway

Hello Ray Stevens fans!! Given the Ray Stevens concert last night at the CabaRay showroom it's now official... the 2023 concert season is underway! I came across a post on social media last night featuring a couple of photos from 2023's opening concert. The concert goer praised the show and remarked that he'd previously had an opportunity to meet Ray in person in 1980 but wasn't able to...but he said he was finally able to meet Ray in person all these years later (43, to be specific!). He posted a photo of himself and Ray. I was happy to see the post from the concert goer for a couple of reasons. First, it gives us all a glimpse into the fun had by those fortunate enough to attend a concert at the CabaRay. Second, it gives us a glimpse into the visuals. My brother and I went to the showroom back in 2018...a once in a lifetime thing for us given the distance we traveled...but as I wrote about in several blog entries back then I felt visiting the showroom in person was something I just had to do. Branson, Missouri is still way too far away. Ray performed at his own theater down there in Branson for 5 seasons (1991, 1992, 1993, 2005, and 2006) but when Ray opened the CabaRay in 2018, west of downtown Nashville, I made it a point that I'd somehow get down there. 

Now, from where I live, Nashville isn't as far away as Branson but it wasn't a short distance, either. The concert goer didn't get into any specifics as to what Ray sang. I don't know if Ray continues to occasionally insert newer songs into his set list or if he sticks to a standard set list of what he feels a general audience would be the most familiar with. There were several songs that he performed in his episode of Larry's Country Diner a couple of months ago...and I'd be interested to know if he performed any of them last night at the CabaRay. The songs were "Cup Holders", "When Bubba Changed His Name to Charlene", and a song he'd previously debuted on an episode of Huckbee, "Where Are All The 12 Year Old's?". Ray also performed on Larry's Country Diner "The Gambler and the Octopus", from his most recent album, Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore. Ray Stevens performs at the CabaRay every Saturday night and later in the year an additional concert night will also be added. It may be a Thursday night as in years past. You can learn all about the CabaRay when you click the official LINK. 

Ray Stevens: The 2023 CabaRay concert Season...One Day Away

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! We're now just one more day from the 2023 concert season at the CabaRay showroom getting underway. The first concert of the season is tomorrow March 11th. The CabaRay doors open up a little before 5pm. The evening's entertainment begins at the piano bar located inside the CabaRay. There is a pianist in there named John Jonethis. The piano bar is open from 5pm until showtime at 7:30pm. Now, for those brand new to the CabaRay experience, it's a dinner theater. Most of those who purchase tickets to the CabaRay do so with the plan of having a dinner before the concert. The main floor has table seating as well as booth seating. The booth's are red leather, located within the corners of the showroom, and are named after Nashville record producers. Now, if you don't want to have any dinner, you can still purchase tickets on the main floor. In the first couple of years of the CabaRay (2018 and 2019) the floor tickets come with a mandatory dinner but now it's optional. There is theater seating up in the balcony for those that want to sit up there and watch Ray and the band. It's a very intimate setting...regardless of where you're seated...meaning that if you choose to sit up in the balcony you're still going to be able to see Ray just as well as if you're sitting at the tables closest to the stage. 

Prior to the concert and in addition to the piano bar there's also a gift shop. There are all kinds of Ray Stevens items for sale plus you can walk around the hallways and look at the various paintings, photographs, and awards...most, if not all, of his awards are inside several trophy cases. When you attend a Ray Stevens concert you're going to hear country music, pop music, gospel music, and of course comedy music. Ray and his band might even perform some instrumentals or perhaps he may showcase the band and they perform an instrumental or two. After the concert is over most of the people head back over to the piano bar and Ray, sometimes, stops by for a photo and autograph session as well as joining John Jonethis in piano duets.

The local Nashville station, Channel 5, interviewed Ray a couple of days ago on the 'Talk of the Town' series. The video was uploaded to their social media sites but it hasn't been posted on YouTube and so I can't embed the actual video. Well, I could embed the video, but I prefer embedding YouTube videos in my blog entries. Anytime I attempt to embed videos that aren't from YouTube the playback is almost always disruptive/filled with buffering. 

However, I will share a link to the Channel 5 news article containing the interview. You can watch the video when you click HERE. The interview headline is titled 'A New Season at CabaRay'. When you visit the webpage you'll find information about the CabaRay. The Channel 5 website features a link to the CabaRay website...in case you're wondering why I haven't provided a link to the CabaRay.

Ray Stevens: The "Unreal" YouTube Playlist

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! As the title of this blog entry suggests I'll be sharing a link to the YouTube playlist of Ray's 1970 album, Unreal. I've written about this particular album in several blog entries over the last 10 plus years but like so many albums and songs by Ray Stevens one never gets tired of talking/writing about them. I've only recently began to put some spotlight on the YouTube playlists of his albums. I used to not share them in my blog posts because, at the time, I preferred that people purchase albums but over the course of time I've began embracing the fact that exposure by any legitimate, legal means available is a good thing. So, I've come around to adapting that point of view. Oh, I still purchase his albums...but I no longer preach against listening to music "for free". In some of my older blog posts you'll come across commentary from me pertaining to that subject matter...but back then I wasn't thinking how positive it works in a recording artist's favor having their music available for all to hear...particularly when the traditional way (radio airplay) is non-existent. I also come to the realization that record companies and the artists themselves are compensated when links to audio and video are clicked throughout the social media landscape. It seems unreal, yes? Some reading this might think to themselves "oh my Lord.. he's only NOW figuring this out??". Well, I didn't just figure it out...I've known about it for awhile...but it's only recently that I've began adding album playlists of Ray Stevens from YouTube into my blog entries. I'm doing my modest part in exposing the great songs of Ray Stevens to those that otherwise wouldn't know of him.      

In the above paragraph I name dropped one of the songs on Ray's 1970 album. "Come Around" is one of two songs on the album that wasn't written by Ray. "Come Around" was written by a writer identified as B. Smith. The other song, "Talking", was written by Ray's brother, John Ragsdale. The thing that inspired me to write this blog entry, other than sharing the YouTube playlist, is a snobbish comment I come across earlier today on social media regarding "Come Around". The song was released as a single, overseas, with "Monkey See, Monkey Do" as the B-side. The social media user ripped the song to shreds and more or less insulted the intelligence of anyone that finds the song even the slightest bit entertaining or exciting. It's the social media user's opinion, of course. Now, to be clear, opinions are opinions. I have plenty of opinions, too...but, with my being a huge fan of Ray Stevens and loving the song, and the fact that I author this fan created blog page, it gives me the ability to speak out against any opinion that I don't agree with and by-pass argument/debate; and, as a result of not directly engaging with those I disagree with, I avoid being drawn into any of those annoying online flame wars. 

** An opinion that I'll forever have regarding the music of Ray Stevens, and him as an entertainer, is that he and his music have an audience. We appreciate the kinds of songs he sings, his stage presence, and his talents...and while it might not excite, thrill, or entertain the so-called hip, important people within the music industry or those who think of themselves as all-knowing when it comes to music, he and his songs thrill, excite, and entertain all of us, his fans, which is why we've always remained fans of Ray Stevens. **

This blog entry started with my promoting the YouTube playlist of the Ray Stevens 1970 album, Unreal...so let's get to it...the album features 11 songs. As I pointed out Ray wrote 9 of the 11 songs. The single releases, here in America, were "America, Communicate With Me" and "Sunset Strip". Those two singles hit the Hot 100 pop chart and the Top-20 Adult-Contemporary chart. Although "America, Communicate With Me" is heavily topical with contemporary goings-on in American pop culture it nevertheless became a pop hit in Canada, too. In fact, it holds a distinction of being a Top-40 pop hit in Canada whereas in America it peaked just a few notches short of pop Top-40 status. The album's other single, "Sunset Strip", is a gorgeous song...and it's during the song's chorus that the name of the album, Unreal, is repeatedly heard. 

The 1970 Unreal album is great music and with Ray Stevens you know you're going to not only going to be entertained by the songs but given his skills as a music arranger you're going to also love hearing the way the songs sound! A lot of people overlook the importance of music arrangements...but not Ray Stevens! 

Take a listen to Unreal on YouTube.    

Ray Stevens: Upcoming March CabaRay concerts...

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! Can you believe it?? We are less than a week away from the 2023 concert season getting underway at the CabaRay showroom in west Nashville. The first concert of the season is this coming Saturday, March 11th. This first month will feature three concerts. The show dates for CabaRay concerts all taking place on a Saturday evening...and there's only 4 of them in the month of March...but there wasn't a concert scheduled for the first Saturday of the month (yesterday). The concerts taking place on March 11, March 18, and March 25 get things underway...and don't forget that you can make an evening and night of your CabaRay visit. How? Well, the showroom itself opens up about an hour or two ahead of the concert. There is a gift shop as well as a piano bar within the walls of the CabaRay that many fans stop by and visit before the concert. The piano bar and the gift shop is also open after the concert, too. Also, if you chose to have a dinner prior to the concert when you purchased your concert ticket, you'll experience casual dining ahead of the concert and yes, if requested, wine is served with your dinner. Those who like the ambience of fine dining or even casual dining (as opposed to fast food dining) will more than likely fall in love with the CabaRay. There are numerous paintings that line the walls...as well as several large trophy cases displaying all kinds of awards, plaques, certificates, and honors bestowed upon Ray Stevens during his career. Ray is currently enjoying his 7th decade as an entertainer...yes, 7 decades. Ray's been making records since 1957. So, when you add it up, well, take a look for yourselves...

Ray Stevens Career by Decade:

1. 1957 to 1967  (First Decade)

2. 1967 to 1977  (Second Decade) 

3. 1977 to 1987  (Third Decade)

4. 1987 to 1997  (Fourth Decade)

5. 1997 to 2007  (Fifth Decade)

6. 2007 to 2017  (Sixth Decade)

7. 2017 to present  (Seventh Decade, currently in progress)

The Country Music Hall of Fame member, Ray Stevens, is all about entertainment...and putting on a show...and you're going to like being at the CabaRay just as much as you're going to like seeing legendary Ray Stevens in concert. You can purchase tickets when you click HERE.