Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! You more than likely aren't going to hear much about it from what they call the mainstream media but Ray has quietly racked up 2.2 million plays of his performance on Larry's Country Diner of "Bubba Changed His Name to Charlene". The statistics come from the social media platform, Facebook. The Larry's Country Diner page over there has a video page and Ray's performance is by far the most watched. It was uploaded to Larry's page back on June 8. The song is a combination of satire, social commentary, comedy...with common sense battling a forced, bizarre alternate universe that the country finds itself in. The audio recording of "Bubba Changed His Name to Charlene", on YouTube, has racked up more than 32,000 unique views since it was uploaded. The full episode of Larry's Country Diner guest starring Ray Stevens, as of this writing, has more than 83,000 unique views. I'm not going to embed the video performance...rather, I'll embed the audio from the TV appearance...
As of now there still isn't any word on when the new songs Ray performed on that episode will become available on an album. Given the way music is heard/discovered there might not even be a future album.. the songs could simply exist as audio tracks on sites like YouTube, Spotify, etc. I hope that isn't the case...yes, I'm old fashioned and love full albums of songs being released on an actual CD rather than simply visiting some online music site and listening that way. Sure, the online way is convenient but I like officially released hardcopy discs as back-up just in case of internet glitches or some music site goes offline. I bet people don't think of that...if a site that contains all your music vanishes from the internet it'll all be gone...so it's always smart to have the music on a CD that a record company has issued. If a record company doesn't offer a CD then download the songs onto a blank CD, of course. The idea of having your favorite songs stored away in some online file, either it be on a computer or a cell phone, is mystifying to me. I know you'll love the song...another great one from legendary Ray Stevens!
Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! Several weeks ago I wrote a blog entry promoting an upcoming TV appearance from Ray on a series called Songs at the Center. The series airs all over the country on local PBS stations. Ray's episode is airing in my area over the weekend and I taped it Friday night and just got the opportunity to watch it. The host of the show, Eric Gnezda, welcomes the viewers to the show and gives a brief history on Ray's accomplishments (2 time Grammy winner; 40 million records sold) and then he introduces Ray. The episode takes place on the stage of the CabaRay showroom. Ray kicks things off with a performance of "Everything is Beautiful". In fact, once Eric finished the introduction, Ray launched into the performance. He accompanies himself on the piano... there's no other music. After the performance Ray explains the origin behind the song and that it was written because he needed a theme song for a 1970 summer show he was to be the host of for Andy Williams. Eric mentions that the song has had all kinds of impact with people...including a lot of inspirational and spiritual impact. When they were discussing the aspects of the song Eric asked Ray if he thinks of the production aspect of the song as he's writing the lyrics and the music. Ray remarks that the production is almost always at the forefront because, as he explained it, if you know what you want the song to 'sound' like then it's vital to have possible production methods rolling around in your head as you write the song. This subject blends into a discussion about recording sessions. He spoke about his years playing on recording sessions for all kinds of performers and his time in A and R which stands for Artists and Repertoire. It was in his role as an A and R executive that afforded him the opportunity to work with all kinds of new, unknown performers...as well as discover a lot of performers for record companies. As Ray and Eric discuss recording sessions the camera pans around the showroom and spotlights the photographs that decorate the walls of the showroom. The photos highlight the recording artists, record producers, and session musicians that crossed Ray's path at some point. Keep in mind that Ray's songs as well as his music arranging and production skills were showcased on numerous recordings made by others.
Eric tells Ray that his father's favorite song is "Mr. Businessman", after which Ray sings it. Eric brings up music arranging and Ray elaborates on how much he loves creating music...and he enthusiastically mentions the latest technology that he uses in his recording studio. Eric compliments Ray on being such a skilled performer and brings up that some singers just enter a studio to sing and they let the producers and others literally make the recording yet, in Ray's case, Ray not only shows up to sing but he's also there to produce, arrange, and play on the recording. Also, if it's a song from Ray or somebody that contractually supplies songs to him, he publishes the songs, too!
In the interview Ray characteristically downplays his own talents by saying that he knows what he wants in his recordings and so that's more or less why he's been his own record producer and music arranger for so many years. Eric brings up Ray's association with Dolly Parton...the time period being the mid 1960s at Monument Records. Ray speaks of Fred Foster and Dolly and remarks that although she didn't have any 'hit records' during those early years he felt that Dolly would become a big star one day. Eric asks about the song, "Just for the Hell Of It". Ray explains that Burt Reynolds contacted him to write a theme song for the movie, Cannonball Run. Ray wrote and performed the movie's theme song but then, according to Ray, Burt had a copy of the movie and asked Ray to watch it and if he sees any part where more songs could be added to go ahead and write something. Ray said that he was watching the movie and during a scene with Burt and Farah Fawcett he heard Burt's character say 'just for the hell of it' and that inspired him to write the song. Ray remarked that the song was edited down to fit a particular scene but he performed the full length recording. However, prior to Ray's performance, the host remarked that Ray would be singing to an audio track containing the music accompaniment...rather than simply singing it with just the piano. Eric asked about Ray's prowess on the piano and Ray said that he learned to play the piano at the age of 6. Ray commented that he was 6 when WWII ended and that sheet music of a military piece was something he was learning to play. He then commented that he studied classical piano for 15 years.
Eric closes the show bringing up "The Streak".. Ray tells the history of the song and then performs the first portion of the novelty.. and when you watch Ray giggling at various moments you'll find yourself wearing a big grin, too. The host had a big grin on his face when hearing Ray talk like the by-stander describing to Ethel everything he was seeing.
It was a very good appearance, performance, and it went by so fast!! Check your local PBS stations for Songs at the Center.. Ray Stevens is the guest on the first episode of the current season.
Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! I touched on this topic more than a decade ago so it's long since been buried in the archives so I thought I'd bring the topic back.. and that's the topic of funny/strange/eye-catching song titles that have appeared on the albums of Ray Stevens over the decades. It may not have hit you yet but the legendary Ray Stevens has entertained us for nearly 8 decades: '50s, '60s, '70s, 80s, 90s, 00's, 10's, and since 2020 we can now include the '20s. Mathematically, as you can see, he's three years into that 8th decade of entertainment. Ray's 1973 album, Nashville, is first in this blog entry about eye catching song titles. On that particular release, which is a non-comedy album, we have songs titled "Destroyed", "Fish Eat Sleep", and "Float".
1978's There Is Something On Your Mind isn't a comedy album from Ray Stevens. However, it's an album that if you're not familiar with the songs you'd think some of them were comical due to their titles. The title track has some humorous moments which are much more notable within the final minutes when Ray launches into the frantic monologue describing the mindset of the guy who learns that he's the victim of a woman's cheating. Elsewhere on the 1978 album are songs with titles such as "Money Honey", "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash", and a trio of medley performances referred to as trilogies. The one medley with what some would consider a comical title is "Banned in Boston Trilogy". This performance features a medley of three songs that Ray, in the liner notes of the vinyl album, said were originally banned on numerous radio stations. The songs in the medley are "Sixty Minute Man", "Work With Me Annie", and "Annie Had a Baby". The 1978 album wasn't heavily promoted at all but had it been it would've most likely been described as a covers album of '50s and '60s rhythm and blues... a music format which Ray is a big fan of. In the written introduction found above Ray's photo on the vinyl release he, and I'm paraphrasing, made the album to bring some seriousness back to the music that he feels had gotten lost or downplayed due to a lot of the then current parodies of the 1950's/1960's time period.
On the 1980 Shriners Convention album, which is a comedy album, eye-catching song titles are plentiful. The one that grabs the eye most often is "Put It In Your Ear". Now, leave it to Ray Stevens to record a song with a title like that but vocally perform it as a serious love ballad. The song's writer is Layng Martine, Jr. The 1980 album also has songs with these titles: "Coin Machine", "You're Never Goin' To Tampa With Me", "The Dooright Family", and "The Watch Song". In 1984 Ray began the phase of his career where he intentionally began marketing himself as a comic performer. Although comedy/novelty had come to define him in the minds of many music listeners well before 1984 it was something he actively worked against... always wanting to show that he could write, sing, and perform serious works as well. Then, in 1984, he figured that if comedy and off-the-wall music is what the general public want from him then that's what he'll give them. Ray had signed to MCA Records in 1984. All but one of the albums Ray recorded during the years 1984 through 1989 were all comedy. His 1989 album was half comedy, half serious ballads.
Some of the eye catching and possibly strange song titles on those comedy albums were: "Mississippi Squirrel Revival", "Erik the Awful", "Ned Nostril", "Punk Country Love", "Kiss a Pig", "Hugo the Human Cannonball", "Bionie and the Robotics", "Smoky Mountain Rattlesnake Retreat", "Dudley Dorite of the Highway Patrol", "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex?", "Three Legged Man", "Cool Down Willard", "Language, Nudity, Violence, and Sex", "Booger Man", "Blood and Suede", "Mama's in the Sky With Elvis", "I Saw Elvis in a U.F.O.", "I Used To Be Crazy", and "The Woogie Boogie".
What I've noticed for years is what I call the Ray Stevens fanbase vernacular. This is when a fan of Ray's will speak in short hand and never say the exact title of a song but will refer to the song by it's subject matter or some lyric they remember. It's mostly a phenomenon on the internet by those who discover Ray's songs through the music videos that have been added to many video hosting sites. A lot those people perhaps have no idea of who Ray actually is and simply know of him by way of some video they've come across on social media sites. This segment of society more than likely will refer to Ray's 2010 music video, "Come to the U.S.A.", as the anti-illegal immigration song rather than by it's actual name. "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" is often simply called "The Squirrel Song".. and I've seen online commentary from those that have seen Ray in concert and they'll inevitably say something like "Yes!! I saw Ray Stevens in concert and I'm glad he sang the song about the squirrel". The 1993 song, "If 10 Percent is Good Enough for Jesus", is referred to by people as "the Ray Stevens song about Jesus and taxes". Another potential example is his 2021 recording, "Dis-Connected". I call it a potential example because earlier today Ray spotlighted the audio recording on his social media sites. In time I'm sure "Dis-Connected" will be referred to as "that Ray Stevens song about online dating".
Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! It hasn't gotten much coverage outside of a pocketful of southern media outlets but recently the Musicians Hall of Fame unveiled a restored statue of the late record producer and guitarist legend, Chet Atkins. Ray Stevens, as you may or may not know, was a close friend and sometimes business partner of Chet. Although the word, inseparable, wouldn't apply to the two of them since they each had separate paths in the music industry, nevertheless, chances were that whenever either of them were hosting, or, were the recipient of some sort of award at a music industry gala you could be sure that one would support the other with an appearance.
A good example is Chet's guest appearance on an episode of the syndicated TV show Marty Robbins once hosted in the mid 1970s. Ray made a special guest appearance on Chet's episode and the two of them sang "Frog Kissing", the song Buddy Kalb wrote that Ray produced, arranged, sang harmony vocals on, and that Chet sang! This is a screen cap from that 1977 television appearance. Chet's singing and Ray is obviously delighted to watch his long time friend vocalizing in addition to playing the guitar. I think the 1977 performance was the first time the two ever did the song on television. I know they later performed it in a 1980 television special saluting Chet's career...but this was probably the first time they performed it on TV.
The Chet Atkins statue currently at the courtyard of the Musicians Hall of Fame had been a public statue for over 20 years in downtown Nashville and a tourist attraction. In Ray's 2013 music video of his 1973 song, "Nashville", you'll see the statue in the latter part of the song. The statue's original unveiling was on January 20, 2000. The statue's removal from the corner of 5th Avenue and Union Street was the result of a couple of factors. It had become, due to the weather, slightly deteriorated. It had sat in all elements of weather for over 20 years. The main reason for the Musicians Hall of Fame stepping in and taking control of the statue is that the planned renovation of that area of downtown Nashville didn't include the statue's presence...so, the hall of fame decided to take the statue and have it on display at their location.
Now, along with the unveiling, which Steve Wariner did, there was a commemorative plaque accompanying the event. You will see the plaque in the photo below. The plaque states Chet's name and his birth and death dates (June 20, 1924 - June 30, 2001); it includes a C.G.P. attachment next to his name; those initials stand for Certified Guitar Player. It then describes the purpose of the plaque and the history of the statue; also included is a quote from Chet and a credit to the statue's sculptor. The plaque also states June 9, 2023 as the official unveiling date at the Musicians Hall of Fame. Here's a photo of Ray and some of the attendee's of the June 9th event...
Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! In this third part of my occasional blog series spotlighting select episodes of CabaRay Nashville I'm going to embed several episodes...well, provide the links to them, and I'll close the blog entry with an embed of one of the videos. CabaRay Nashville is the television show Ray Stevens hosted for several years and is now airing once a week on his YouTube channel.
It's a half hour series featuring Ray, of course, and usually a special guest. There have been episodes where there's more than one special guest. It's a music-driven talk show. In the YouTube airings of the series Ray opens the show with a song and it's followed by Ray welcoming the audience/viewers to the show which is followed by a super quick edit (on TV this is where the first wave of commercials would air) to where Ray introduces the episode's guest.
The guest talks with Ray at the red piano. After the interview portion has concluded Ray has the guest sing. This is usually followed by a taped sketch from one of Ray's vast amount of comedy video recordings or it's followed by the guest walking back over to Ray's red piano for more discussion. The guest ultimately sings a second song which is followed by another edit mark (where commercials would air if it were on television). Ray then is seen centerstage or seated behind the red piano where he sings the episode's closing song. The closing performance is followed by a one-liner from Ray...often intentionally a bad joke. The show always ends with Ray dancing with an audience member to the melody of "Everything is Beautiful". Here are some of the select episodes from the past several weeks...
The episode I'm embedding is the one that spotlights the musicians featured on the CabaRay Nashville television show. Ray refers to them as the A Team, a nod to the famed team of musicians that played on the recording sessions in Nashville throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The episode giving spotlight to the musicians and back-up singers happened to be the final episode of Season Four. The first episode of Season Five is featured above this paragraph...the episode guest starring Ray Hildebrand. If you don't recognize the name then think of the pop song "Hey Paula". The male lead singer of that song was Ray Hildebrand and the female lead singer was Jill Jackson. The two of them were billed as Paul and Paula.
Hello fans of Ray Stevens...and in this second blog entry of June 4th I wanted to make mention of an upcoming television appearance by Ray Stevens. This appearance may very well have aired in your local market but it hasn't aired everywhere. The PBS series, Songs at the Center, will feature Ray on their first episode of the new season of shows. The episode has aired in some places of the country, as mentioned, due to it being a syndicated national program on local PBS affiliates. The episode is set to air in this area on June 16th at 11:30pm and I have my DVR programmed to tape the episode.
What you fans of Ray Stevens need to do is check the websites of the PBS television stations in your area. Once there check their program guide for Songs at the Center. All the PBS websites have a navigational tool and a list of the programs they air. When you do the TV show search, and you find out that your local PBS station carries the show, it'll provide all upcoming episodes of the series...and the one with Ray Stevens should be among the search results along with it's air-date and time. The host of the series is a guy named Eric Gnezda. Once I watch the episode in a few weeks I'll definitely write an overview/review in a future blog entry. The episode was taped at the CabaRay showroom in west Nashville earlier this year.
Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! In this first blog entry for the month of June I thought I'd share an image of me and the Shriners coffee cup...it's a new item in the webstore at the Ray Stevens webpage. There are several coffee mugs and T-shirts that are new but I picked the cup with the image of the Shriners Convention album cover on it. There's also some lyrical quotes on the other side of the cup. Now, of course, the image off to the left is of the 1980 Shriners Convention album so just picture that image on a coffee cup and you'll have the idea of what one of the newest items looks like. I'll be posting a picture of myself and the coffee cup at the end of the blog entry. The song, "Shriner's Convention", was introduced by Ray several months prior to the single's release early in 1980. There is footage of him singing a portion of the song in a made-for-TV crime drama from 1979 called Concrete Cowboys. The TV movie starred Jerry Reed and Tom Selleck. There's a couple of scenes within the movie where Jerry and Tom's characters visit a club and in performance is Ray Stevens. In one visit he's singing a piece of his 1975 song, "Sunshine", and in another scene he's singing "Shriner's Convention". The movie aired October 17, 1979. The "Shriner's Convention" single made it's debut on the various music industry charts in February 1980. One of the publications, Record World, had the single debuting February 9, 1980 which indicated that it had been commercially available starting sometime in January 1980. It was his debut performance for RCA Records. The first half of 1980 was more or less dominated by the "Shriner's Convention" single and the Shriners Convention album. His time at RCA was brief but, to my ears, the recordings he did in that three year period (1980, 1981, and 1982) are absolutely wonderful.
In the photo below we see legendary Ray Stevens at work at the recording console. One could imagine he's intently listening to a snippet of a music track and deciding where to place the bass or the horns in the arrangement or he's listening to the playback of a recording and deciding that electric guitar is too loud in that portion of the song. I love this photo...well, I love all the photos of Ray that I've seen...but this one captures the serious, production minded side of Ray Stevens...the one that's usually kept behind the scenes inside his recording studio where only a lucky handful get to witness.
Ray Stevens in Studio; 1981
There are, as I said, several new items in the Ray Stevens webstore and there are coffee cups sold featuring imagery related to "The Streak", "Mississippi Squirrel Revival", "Everything Is Beautiful", and then there's some of the older items related to the CabaRay showroom and some of Ray's other recordings. There's a wide selection of clothing, hats, music, and trinkets at his webstore. You can visit the webstore when you click HERE. Here's me and the Ray Stevens Shriners coffee cup. I didn't check my mailbox on Tuesday (May 30th) but I did check my post office box the next day and saw that the item had arrived. So, technically, I don't know if it arrived in the mail on a Tuesday or if it arrived on a Wednesday. No matter, though...I have it now and it's part of my personal Ray Stevens collection.
