Ray Stevens: CabaRay concerts in July...

Fun and a whole lot of entertaining goes on every week at the Ray Stevens CabaRay showroom in west Nashville. If you're a tourist and visiting Nashville then I suggest you add the CabaRay to your destination list. The showroom is just west of downtown Nashville and easy to get to. Later I'll be embedding a link to the showroom and once you visit the official website you'll find all the information you'll need. Ray performs at his showroom every Saturday night. The showroom's doors open at 5pm. When you're there, awaiting Ray's concert, you can browse the gift shop and or sit in the piano bar. In addition to the gift shop and piano bar there's all kinds of photos, paintings, and awards lining the walls. There are several trophy cases displaying the various awards and certificates Ray has received over the decades. He is a member of various Halls of Fame and has a Star on the Music City Walk of Fame. The pianist inside the piano bar is John Jonethis...and the bar is informally nicknamed the Bill Lowery High Spirits Emporium. The atmosphere at the CabaRay is light and up-tempo...and I've often described the showroom as Ray Stevens World. If you're a fan of Ray as I happen to be and you live within a few States of Tennessee I suggest you take a vacation to Nashville and visit the CabaRay on Saturday evenings. As a fan of Ray Stevens, the moment you walk through the CabaRay's main entrance, you'll get this feeling that'll come over you. Actually, I got the feeling the moment I saw the big red letters of the CabaRay come into view from the interstate. It's a feeling of euphoria, I guess? Ray will be in concert at the CabaRay five times during the month of July... you can catch him on July 1st (tonight!), July 8th, July 15th, July 22nd, and July 29th. You can read all about the showroom and purchase your tickets when you click HERE. Don't forget to explore the website once you're there. The link I provided only takes you to the Events/Concerts page. You can click on the area that reads Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom once you're at the Events page and it'll take you to the website's home page. The home page is where you'll find the various tabs... the photo section, referred to as Gallery, is great. 

Ray Stevens: Upcoming CabaRay concerts in May

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! As we near the end of April 2023 let us look ahead to the month of May at the CabaRay showroom. Ray will be in concert one last time this month...this coming Saturday night, April 29th. Then, the following Saturday kicks off the new month of concerts. There will be four concerts from Ray Stevens during the month of May. Those dates are: May 6th, May 13th, May 20th, and May 27th. All concert dates are on a Saturday evening. 

The CabaRay opens it's doors in the evening. My guess would be around 4:30pm Central time. The piano bar within the showroom opens at 5pm and if I recall correctly, when my brother and I went to the showroom a couple of years ago, we entered at some point after 4pm but that was back then...the policy may be different now. The piano bar, as mentioned, opens up at 5pm with John Jonethis. It's a fully equipped bar...a variety of drinks are available...and most people choose to remain in the piano bar until a few minutes before the Ray Stevens concert begins at 7:30pm. However, those who have purchased a dinner along with the concert, the dinner gets underway at 5:30pm. The staff already know where you're seated and so they'll bring the dinner you ordered to your table. 

You purchase your dinner at the time of your ticket purchase...some fans, back when the CabaRay opened up and I think some may still think this, but, some fans might be under the impression that it's like a fast food place where you order what you want when you arrive but ordinarily that isn't the way it is. I know that fans can purchase concert tickets at the showroom's box office on the day of the concert...and maybe they allow those who purchase tickets on concert day the option to have a dinner included...so, in that situation, you can order a dinner on the day of the concert. However, most people choose to purchase CabaRay tickets weeks or months in advance and the dinner, should they choose that option, is already taken care of. If you love balcony seating be aware that dinner's are not offered up there but you can order beverages. You can read about the showroom and purchase concert tickets when you click HERE. The information is also in the official CabaRay showroom commercial. I've said it plenty of times over the last several years and I'll say it again. The CabaRay showroom is like a playground for Ray Stevens and his fans. It could very easily be described as Ray Stevens World. If you're a fan of Ray and haven't made the trip to west Nashville to see the CabaRay, yet, I'd recommend you do so. I know economics aren't that great so it's understandable if you're 3 or more States away from Tennessee...but if you're within a 100 or 200 mile radius of Nashville in either direction it'll be well worth your trip.

Ray Stevens: "Today in Nashville" Interview...

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! All of you should be aware of this already but the greatest place for live music just west of downtown Nashville is the Ray Stevens CabaRay showroom. Ray is in the middle of April's concerts...each Saturday night at the CabaRay you'll see the legendary Ray Stevens in concert. The CabaRay is a showroom, as mentioned, because the objective is to put on a show...and that means you're not only going to get Ray Stevens but you're also going to delight in the banter between Ray and the harmony singers as well as Ray and his band. The showroom is a bit more intimate than the spacious theater he once owned and operated in years gone by...and Ray has often remarked that he intentionally wanted the CabaRay to have an intimate feeling...creating a concert interior where every fan in attendance feels as if they're right up near the stage. If you prefer balcony seating, well, you're still going to feel as if you're right down front. That's how impeccable the design happens to be. Yesterday (April 14th) Ray was a special guest on a local Nashville series, Today in Nashville. It airs on WSMV-TV. The interview is a little under 5 minutes. Technically it clocks in at 4 minutes, 56 seconds. The program, based on the advertisement that appeared on Ray's social media, aired at 2pm Central (3pm Eastern). I was not aware of the interview until I got home from work...and I frantically began searching the internet for any kind of transcript or video.

I came across the interview on the WSMV webpage and I've watched it. It's a very engaging interview and fast moving. You can watch the interview by clicking HERE. 

I don't know how long that link will be active...most television and, or, radio station websites disable their links after a certain amount of time and they become exclusive to those that join a website, most often as a premium member, so watch the interview while you can. In the meantime...have you heard "Grits", yet? In my previous blog entry I wrote about a Pat Boone single recently released called "Grits" and it features Ray as one of the several guest vocalists. It's been heard by thousands of people, so far, through audio links on various social media sites. You can listen to "Grits" when you click this YouTube LINK. You're gonna love it!!

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. 

Ray Stevens: CabaRay concerts return in 5 weeks

Yes...you read the title of this blog entry correctly. In just 5 short weeks the Ray Stevens CabaRay showroom will kick off the 2023 concert season. As in past seasons the concerts will heavily favor Saturday evenings and then expand to an occasional Thursday. The first concert of the 2023 season will take place on March 11th and when you visit the CabaRay website, for now, there's a large announcement across the screen advertising that the tickets are on sale. They went on sale less than a month ago back on January 11th...I wrote a blog about it...but now we're 5 weeks from that first concert of the year. 

I touched on the fact that this will be Ray's fourth full season of concerts at the CabaRay. 2018 and 2019 were full seasons whereas there wasn't much of a concert season at all in 2020 because of the pandemic and then there were a handful of concerts in the latter half of 2021. He returned to a full schedule of concerts in 2022 and now we're heading into the 2023 concert season. If you're doing the math right along with me this should've been his 6th consecutive concert season had the pandemic never happened. Purchase your tickets to the CabaRay by clicking HERE. 

Here's Ray performing "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" at the CabaRay. Now, keep in mind, this is just the performance area of the showroom. There's also a piano bar, gift shop, and numerous tables and chairs lining the hallway where fans can sit and talk. There's a balcony area, too, that overlooks the piano bar. Ray's trophy case is a sight to behold as are the dozens of photos and paintings that line the walls. Some of the paintings are by Bobby Goldsboro. 

Ray Stevens: Thursday concerts at the CabaRay...

We're getting close to the expansion of concerts at the Ray Stevens CabaRay showroom. Starting tomorrow, April 21st, Ray will be in concert at the CabaRay on Thursday evening in addition to the Saturday evening concerts. When you visit the CabaRay webpage and search the Event section you'll find the calendar. If you search ahead to the month of May you'll see that there are two consecutive Thursday dates, the 19th and 26th, without a concert scheduled. The concert schedule for 2022 is subject to change...the month of July, for example, only has Saturday concerts listed rather than Thursday and Saturday. So, I'm guessing that the concerts haven't officially been declared for those specific Thursday dates, yet, and the closer we get to July those dates will become available. You can read about the CabaRay and choose concert dates by clicking HERE. In a recent interview with Bill Cody on WSM radio Ray mentioned that the Piano Bar will be open on concert days starting at 5pm but then mentioned that it's open for several hours on Friday evenings...on non-concert days...and in the interview he remarked that the resident pianist, John Jonethis, has quite the following. I seen an advertisement about John performing at the CabaRay Piano Bar on Friday evenings months ago but the advertisement is no longer online...so I was surprised to hear from Ray in that interview that the Piano Bar remains open on Friday evenings when there isn't a Ray Stevens concert scheduled. I wrote a blog entry about the Bill Cody interview of Ray but in case you don't have the time to search the archives here's a link to the interview...click HERE. 

Ray Stevens: The CabaRay Showroom re-opens in one week...

Well, here we are...one week from today Ray Stevens will re-open his CabaRay showroom in West Nashville. The re-opening is scheduled for September 4th. The doors to the facility open at 5pm Central and during that time fans will have access to the Piano Bar. I visited the CabaRay in 2018 and we (my brother and I) were free to roam around and look at the art work on the walls, the trophy case upstairs, and all of the other eye catching sights inside the CabaRay. The CabaRay gift shop, when we were there, opened up approximately a half an hour before the main doors to the showroom. In 2018 the Piano Bar opened at 5pm; the Gift Shop opened at 6pm; and the doors to the showroom (the actual area where the concert takes place) would open at 6:30pm. This season it's just a little bit different. The fans who choose a dinner option will begin being seated at 5:30pm Central. The fans who purchase concert-only tickets will begin to take their seats at 6:30pm Central. It's mainly a dinner theater...and for the fans that order a dinner they should be seated inside the showroom beginning at 6:30pm. All of the food is fixed ahead of time on the day of the concert...all of it is based on the online orders. 

When you order tickets online and you specify a dinner option, when you show up on the day of your concert, you will enter the showroom when the doors open and, obviously, find your seat; several minutes later, after a waiter or waitress brings out napkins, straws, and your choice of soft drink (or water), the food you ordered when you purchased your concert tickets will be brought out to you within minutes. So, just in case you have never gone to a CabaRay concert yet, you don't order your food in person on the day of the concert. You order it when you purchase your tickets and then the cooks prepare it on the day of the concert and they bring it out to you once you show up. The showroom has balcony seating...but dinner isn't served up there for obvious reasons. Nobody wants to have food or utensils accidentally falling down from the balcony and onto someone's table or body...and so if you purchase balcony seating (the cheaper tickets) remember that food isn't going to be served up there. The showroom is an intimate gathering place...and if you decide to purchase balcony seats for economic reasons you're still going to have an awesome view of everything. The showroom isn't so spacious that balcony seating will cause Ray to look ant size...so there's no need to be concerned over that. Also, you don't have to purchase a dinner in order to sit downstairs. They changed the seating policy in 2019. You can choose to purchase concert-only tickets and sit among those who are eating. In 2018 everyone who purchased floor seating (non-balcony seats) automatically had a dinner...but that changed in 2019. 

My guess is some of the fans/concert goers wanted the ability to attend a CabaRay concert and sit at floor level regardless of whether or not they chose a dinner option.   

You can visit the CabaRay webpage by clicking HERE.    

Ray Stevens: The CabaRay October Concerts...

Hello once more!! The CabaRay has it's grand re-opening next Thursday October 1st. I don't know if other venues are re-opening with limited audience or not...but Ray Stevens will have the CabaRay opened starting next Thursday. I visited the webpage for the showroom and looked at the October calendar to see if it had been updated to reflect the entire month and it has. Ray Stevens concerts will take place throughout the months of October, November, and December. The bulk of the concerts will take place on Thursday and Saturday nights. When the calendar flips to November there won't be a concert on November 26th because of it being Thanksgiving. However, there will be a concert the next night and another Saturday night to wrap up the month of November. Those of you familiar with CabaRay concerts from 2018 and 2019 you'll know the month of December is Christmas season at the showroom. The season will more than likely kick off the Friday following Thanksgiving on November 27th. Although New Year's Eve is on a Thursday night this year (December 31st), as of this writing, there isn't a concert scheduled on New Year's Eve. 

As you can see, I copied and pasted the CabaRay concert schedule for the month of October. In blog's past I'd type the concert dates but I decided to just copy and paste the actual calendar. So, next Thursday, October 1st is the grand re-opening of the CabaRay. There's been a series of changes that have been implemented due to COVID-19 not only in audience seating (6 feet apart) but also in how fans and the general public can purchase tickets. As of this writing tickets can only be purchased over the phone. They're not taking or processing on-line ticket orders. That being said when you click this LINK you'll see more information about the CabaRay and you'll see their telephone number. I know some people don't like to click links and if you're one of them I'll provide the CabaRay phone number here: 1-615-327-4630. All of the Ray Stevens fans that are able to go I'd encourage you to attend and get the grand re-opening of the CabaRay off to a grand start. Now, it's important to point out, there's limited seating due to the pandemic. Health regulations mandate up to 125 people can attend an indoor concert. So, those of you who are wanting to get out and see the Ray Stevens show at the CabaRay, call that number and check on ticket availability.  

Ray Stevens: March CabaRay Concerts...

Hello all...looking at the March 2020 calendar of events at the CabaRay showroom I see that there are three concerts from Ray scheduled to take place: March 21st, 26th, and 28th. The Larry's Country Diner series will be taping at the showroom on March 25th. I don't know the reason for there not being a concert taking place on March 19th but I'm guessing it's tied into the COVID-19 a/k/a Coronavirus pandemic. When you visit the CabaRay WEBPAGE you'll see the message that I linked to in a previous blog entry. The message is about the virus and how, for now, concerts will continue to take place at the CabaRay but if you've purchased tickets but have symptoms of the virus then, of course, do not attend the concert. They ask you contact the showroom if you're not able to attend a concert that you've purchased tickets to. All of this may change within the upcoming week, however, given how rapid the virus outbreak has become. In the message posted on Ray's social media pages about the virus it sounds like he's leaving open the possibility that if State officials mandate or Federal health organizations suggest the closing of venues where large amounts of people gather then the CabaRay would have to comply. This is the line that got me thinking that Ray may, at a future date, decide to shut things down temporarily: "At this time, we are continuing with performances and monitoring the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health officials". As of this writing CabaRay concerts are still going to take place until further notice.

Ray Stevens: CabaRay opening Night...Season Three...

Hello all...March 12th is upon us and it's opening night of Season Three at the Ray Stevens CabaRay in West Nashville. The showroom opens at 5pm Central...those in attendance will be able to take in the sights of the showroom's interior and visit the Piano Bar and the gift shop prior to the main doors to the performance area opening. The concert itself begins at 7:30pm Central which takes place after the Dinner is served. Those who purchase Dinner and Concert tickets are seated at tables or in the red leather booths situated in the corners of the main performance area. Those who purchase only concert tickets can still sit at the tables and can order water or soft drinks but there's no dinner, obviously, brought to your table. The balcony seats are also given beverages but no dinner option is available up there for obvious reasons. There is a contest going on, too. There's a post on Ray's Facebook page in which Ray and the staff will select a winner for two free tickets to a future CabaRay concert. The rules of the contest are simple: Like and Share the post. You can find that post HERE. As of this writing there have been more than 200 likes and shares in a span of 4 hours. The contest ends next Monday March 16th. If, for some reason, that link doesn't work you can always visit Ray's Facebook page on your own and search for the 1pm March 12th post. He also posted some photo's of himself and his stage band in the studio rehearsing for opening night. The trio of back-up harmony singers were photographed as well.

Earlier this afternoon around 3pm on Ray's CabaRay Facebook page there was a message posted related to the Corona virus outbreak. This virus, several days ago, was officially determined to be a pandemic and even though there's been a lot of educational information spread throughout the world from health professionals on how to take precautions or how to keep yourself in the best case scenario of not contracting it the point of there not being a vaccine or medication for it has more or less caused a panic I've not seen take place...ever. Not in the hours, days, and weeks after other viruses that have come along in years past have I seen the kind of fear and panic this particular one has spawned. I'm not going to get into a lengthy political or social rant here...I leave whatever rants I may have for the proper outlets on social media...but in the message posted on Ray's social media sites he asked those that have purchased tickets to opening night but feel that there may be anything going on with you, as in, you feel as if you may have this virus...then the best thing is to not attend the concert. It's best to remain home to prevent a potential spread of the virus to someone else...and I think this is the correct message to send to a general public...but if you feel perfectly fine then you should go ahead and attend the concert as planned.

Ray Stevens CabaRay; Season Three kicks off today, March 12th

I don't know why other events aren't also being conducted like that...instead, for example, college basketball games are going to be played in arena's with no spectators...the NBA has canceled the remainder of their season...the college basketball conference championships are being canceled and so for the first time in history there will be no March Madness or an NCAA College Basketball champion for the 2019-2020 season. This is irrational fear/panic as far as I'm concerned. It tells me the organizers of the events that are being canceled have no faith in the intelligence of their customers. I assume they're thinking that people will attend a public event if they seriously feel as though they have the Corona virus rather than stay home as all health professionals have urged. Ray, on the other hand, based upon his message has made it clear that the show will go on for those that feel perfectly fine. So, then, if you have tickets to opening night at the CabaRay and you feel perfectly fine then go ahead and enjoy your night at the CabaRay. It's nearing 6pm Eastern here...so things should be getting underway at the CabaRay within the next several minutes with the opening of the Piano Bar!! I hope photo's from opening night are posted on-line. When you're on I-40 take Exit 201...it's Charlotte Pike...from there you'll be on the hunt for River Road. You'll actually see the CabaRay before you even get to the showroom because it's sitting on top of a hill...you can't miss it.

Ray Stevens and his CabaRay Christmas...

I've seen a number of photo's on social media of fans attending recent concerts at the Ray Stevens CabaRay showroom. The venue is located on River Road just west of downtown Nashville and during the course of this month and into next month the venue is presenting it's Christmas series of concerts. There are two more concerts scheduled for the month of November and those will take place next Friday and Saturday (November 29th and November 30th). The official Christmas season begins the day after Thanksgiving in the opinion of most and with concerts from Ray scheduled on the 29th and 30th of this month what better way to get into that Christmas spirit by taking in a concert? The ticket information can be found HERE. The CabaRay having had it's grand opening in early 2018 this marks the second season of Christmas themed concerts. It's my guess it'll be an annual series of concerts each November/December. This is the advertisement used for the concert series. It's identical to the one used in 2018 except the concert dates were different last year.

2019