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: 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: 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 Showroom WTVF Interview...

Hello to all of the fans of Ray Stevens!! There's been a second contest added on top of the other contest I wrote a blog entry about a few days ago. Back on May 11th a contest got underway on Ray's Facebook page where if you Like and Share the post you'd be entered to win several items, which included a copy of the 2012, 9-CD Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music. That contest ended on May 13th. Then, on May 16th, Ray announced that the 5 albums he released last year were going on sale for $6.99 a piece at the Apple/iTunes store. The sale runs until May 27th. The albums are: Great Country Ballads, Melancholy Fescue, Slow Dance, Nouveau Retro, and Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore. A couple of days ago (May 19th) Ray announced another contest on his Facebook page and the prize would be 4 free concert tickets to the CabaRay. As with the previous contest you have to Like and Share the post. As of this writing there's 903 Likes and 675 Shares. Ray's Facebook page can be found by clicking HERE. I didn't enter the contest because I know I won't be able to attend any concert there. If you're able to go don't pass up the chance to attend a concert at his CabaRay. WTVF, local Channel 5 in Nashville, did a feature on Ray's CabaRay and it was uploaded onto Facebook yesterday evening. I was away from the internet for several hours Friday evening and night but when I returned a little after 1am I seen that Ray had posted a video clip from WTVF. When Ray's comedy album was released in October 2021 he appeared on WTVF to promote it...and this new video clip is meant to promote the CabaRay. It was featured on the news segment, Talk of the Town. The video hasn't been uploaded onto YouTube so I'm unable to provide an embed video, for now, but you can watch the video when you click HERE. The link takes you to the WTVF webpage and the feature on Ray's showroom. They also provide a link to the CabaRay website.

Ray Stevens: Upcoming May CabaRay concerts...

Ray Stevens has two concerts left in the month of April at the CabaRay. He will be in concert tomorrow evening (4/28) and again on Saturday (4/30). This is the month where Ray began to include select Thursday evenings for concerts in addition to Saturday evening. As we look ahead to the month of May we find that Ray Stevens will be in concert at the CabaRay on the 7th, 12th, 14th, 21st, and 28th. Now, as of this writing, there's only one Thursday evening concert scheduled in May...it'll be performed on the 12th. I'm sure that if other concerts are scheduled on the remaining Thursday evenings they would've been added to the calendar by now. So, for now, Saturday evening will be the majority of concerts from Ray Stevens at the CabaRay during the month of May. In my previous blog entry I mentioned that John Jonethis would be in performance inside the Piano Bar and I included a video promo. On the days featuring a Ray Stevens concert the Piano Bar will open at 5pm...on Friday evenings, which Ray isn't performing this season, the Piano Bar will open at 7pm. I had left a message on social media that may confuse people when I commented that the Piano Bar is open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I didn't specify that the Piano Bar is only open on Thursday if Ray happens to have a concert scheduled at the CabaRay that evening. I don't want to delete my social media comment and there's no option to edit it and so I'll more than likely re-post the link to my previous blog entry and use different, more specific information. In the meantime here's the LINK containing all of the ticket information for Ray Stevens concerts at the CabaRay. 

Oh, by the way, how do you like the photo of Ray that I decided to use? It's a screen cap from a television appearance literally 50 years ago. Ray Stevens guest starred on two episodes of Hee Haw in 1972. This screen cap is from his second appearance. On this episode Ray sang "Gitarzan" and "Isn't It Lonely Together". In Ray's other guest appearance in 1972 he sang "Turn Your Radio On" and "Along Came Jones". If you notice, a lot of Ray's comedy performances on Hee Haw often featured some of the ensemble cast in the background. It's my guess that the show's producer, Sam Lovullo, wanted to have a lively atmosphere, visually, in the background during one of Ray's comedy songs. In a 1980 appearance he sang "Shriner's Convention" with some of the cast seated around him. When you see Ray Stevens in concert at the CabaRay he performs on a stage that extends into the audience area...so even now he still prefers to have an audience close by. Don't forget to click the link above for concert and ticket information.

Ray Stevens: Friday Night Piano Bar...

Hello fans of Ray Stevens!! In my previous blog entry I made mention that I was surprised that the CabaRay Piano Bar was still operational on non-concert evenings. I visited the CabaRay webpage and they've put the John Jonethis promo inside a link that reads: "Piano Bar Friday Nights are Back!". The promo originated in July of 2021 and at that time it was visible further down on the main page. When you click the LINK you'll see the promo detailing pianist John Jonethis playing at the Piano Bar on Friday evenings beginning at 7pm Central. On Ray Stevens concert evenings the Piano Bar opens at 5pm and closes just prior to Ray's concert. The Piano Bar then re-opens following Ray's concert and stays open until, usually, Midnight. The Piano Bar offers all kinds of mixed drinks and from what I've read there are drinks named after characters and catchphrases in Ray's comedy songs. You can also purchase souvenir bottles of CabaRay Wine or purchase a bottle and drink it responsibly while inside the Piano Bar. When you're inside the Piano Bar you'll not only see the piano John Jonethis plays but you'll, of course, see the bar and the drinks available. There are seats/tables situated all over the Piano Bar. There's a long table that goes along the outside of the piano for those that want to sit right up next to the piano. There's traditional bar seating, too...and a bartender on hand. There's a balcony area where you can look out over top of the Piano Bar. There's even a dance floor area for those that want to engage in dancing during a John Jonethis performance. When you're inside the room and seated at the bar, the piano will be located off to your left. The Piano Bar is officially called The Bill Lowery High Spirits Emporium. Ray has previously uploaded various videos promoting the Piano Bar. Three 13 second video promo's appeared on YouTube last year when Friday and Saturday performances by John Jonethis made their debut. Earlier today one of those videos was re-uploaded with new graphics to reflect the new schedule: Fridays at 7pm. You'll see the interior of the Piano Bar in the video...

Ray Stevens: Concerts at the CabaRay...

Hello Ray Stevens fans!! There are 7 concerts remaining on the 2021 calendar at the CabaRay showroom. Time has flown by...it seems like yesterday the CabaRay was having it's re-opening...but it's been more than 2 months since the CabaRay re-opened early in September. The upcoming concerts dates are: November 20th and 27th; December 4th, 10th, 11th, 18th, the 31st. That final date of the year is, of course, a New Year's Eve concert. You can read about the CabaRay and purchase concert tickets by clicking HERE. If you're a recipient of the monthly e-mail newsletter from Ray Stevens you should be aware of an upcoming release sometime after Thanksgiving. The holiday falls on a final Thursday each November and this year the actual Thanksgiving date is the 25th. So, mathematically, we're 10 days away from Thanksgiving. I've gotten most of the major items that'll be fixed that day (Turkey; stuffing; noodles; chicken broth; dinner rolls; etc.). I know none of that has anything to do with Ray Stevens but since Thanksgiving is next Thursday I couldn't resist. In an update on something I mentioned in a previous blog entry: I haven't come across any photos of Ray at the Veteran's Day parade. There were rain showers that day in Nashville but I saw a re-cap article of the parade that stated that Ray was co-grand marshal...but it's odd that there hasn't been any photographs posted online of Ray at the Veteran's Day parade. Perhaps being a co-grand marshal is just an honorary title and he wasn't physically at the parade? Perhaps he participated virtually? The only online media coverage I'd seen of Nashville's parade came from WTVF-TV but they shown only a few moments from the parade as it was in progress but it wasn't a detailed look at everyone who participated in it. There were numerous other parades that day throughout Tennessee...that other local television stations reported on. I'm surprised no video exists of the parade in it's entirety. I don't know if Ray will make mention of his involvement in the parade during the next concert at the CabaRay this Saturday...but for those that go to the concert keep that in mind. Ray usually shows up in the CabaRay Piano Bar following a concert...in this setting he may discuss the Veterans Day parade if asked about it. 

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 re-opens in less than a Month...

Hello one and all...in less than a month from now Ray Stevens will re-open his CabaRay showroom in West Nashville. The grand re-opening in September 4th...and if you look at a calendar that's 2 weeks from this coming Saturday (August 21st). In the meantime the CabaRay's Piano Bar re-opened back on July 9th. It's been open every Friday and Saturday featuring John Jonethis. The Piano Bar is like a warm-up show during the nights Ray Stevens is there. John Jonethis plays the piano while the customers sit around at tables listening or talking quietly among themselves. Ray re-opened the Piano Bar on July 9th, to my way of thinking, as a sort of test to see if people were comfortable enough to attend a public event. It's been open now for at least a month, every Friday and Saturday evening, and so it must have passed it's test. 

The John Jonethis residency at the Piano Bar is using a title now: Nightlife in Nashville. At the moment the Piano Bar opens at 7:30pm on both days. When Ray begins performing at the CabaRay showroom again on September 4th the Piano Bar will open up at 5pm...then it will close down during Ray's concert...and then re-open after Ray's concert ends. The Piano Bar remains open until sometime around Midnight following each Ray Stevens concert. It's become something of a tradition that Ray, sometimes, will make an appearance after the concert inside the Piano Bar. The official name of the Piano Bar is the Bill Lowery High Spirits Emporium. The CabaRay showroom re-opening on September 4th is on a Saturday. 

Ray Stevens: Live Music at the CabaRay Piano Bar...

Hello all once again!! I was looking back on some of the blog entries I'd written in the last week of July and discovered that I hadn't written a blog entry lately promoting the CabaRay Piano Bar being open for business. I'd written a blog entry in early July prior to the re-opening and then later that month I shared several YouTube video clip advertisements that Ray uploaded promoting the CabaRay Piano Bar. The re-opening took place on July 7th. On every Friday and Saturday night since then the Piano Bar has been open with pianist, John Jonethis. He doesn't just play the piano...he sings, too. He also asks people in the room to sing-a-long if they know the song. The CabaRay Piano Bar opens at 7:30pm every Friday and Saturday. Just in case you didn't know there is no cover charge. Ray is operating the Piano Bar on a first come, first serve basis...so if you're planning on visiting the CabaRay Piano Bar to hear the pianist be sure to be among the first to enter when the doors open at 7:30pm.    

Ray Stevens: Flurry of Online Activity Today...

Hello all!! I'm sure all of you have seen the various video uploads from Ray Stevens today. If you hadn't seen them well I'll be providing links to most of them in this blog entry and embedding one of the video uploads. A couple of the video uploads are advertisements for the CabaRay Piano Bar which has been open to the public on Friday and Saturday nights since early this month. Earlier this month or it may have been late last month I wrote a blog entry about the Piano Bar re-opening but what you'll be seeing are the official video advertisements that were uploaded today. You'll also see a couple of additional promo video's for the CabaRay Showroom re-opening on September 4th and a second video promo for the digital stores where you can find Ray's music. In total Ray uploaded 6 videos to YouTube today and below you'll find links to 5 of the 6 with a sixth video embedded. I don't want to have 6 video uploads embedded on top of each other which is why 5 of them will be in links. There's definitely been a flurry of online activity...as the title of this blog entry states.

PIANO BAR PROMO-1

PIANO BAR PROMO-2

PIANO BAR PROMO-3

CABARAY PROMO-2

CABARAY PROMO-3

I didn't include the first CabaRay promo video in the above list because I've already embedded it in a previous blog entry. Here's the 6th video upload of today from Ray Stevens...a second advertisement for the various online music stores where his music is available. The first advertisement got some reaction a month ago but now that his 4-CD box set, Iconic Songs of the 20th Century, is available it doesn't hurt to remind potential consumers that even Ray's music is available online for purchase beyond it being available at his official website. 

Ray Stevens: CabaRay Piano Bar re-opens July 9th...

I came across news of the re-opening of the piano bar inside the Ray Stevens CabaRay showroom yesterday but didn't make mention of it because I wasn't sure when Ray's social media was going to begin promoting it. Less than an hour ago the announcement was officially made that this coming Friday, July 9th, part of the CabaRay showroom will re-open to the public. The Bill Lowery High Spirits Emporium and Piano Bar, as it's officially called, will re-open to the public beginning at 7pm on July 9th. The piano bar is an intimate area within the CabaRay where customers can relax, dance, have limited drinks, and listen to the pianist, John Jonethis. The piano bar will be open every Friday and Saturday evening from 7pm until closing time from July 9th through August 28th. The piano bar has limited seating...though there wasn't a number released as to how many seats are in the piano bar...so I don't know what their plan will be should several hundred show up. When my brother and I were at the CabaRay in 2018 I was too afraid to go into the piano bar since I don't drink alcohol so I sat on a bench along the wall outside the piano bar and listened from there. There are circular tables sitting upstairs in a hallway along side a balcony where you can sit and look out over the piano bar. I don't know if this is a trial run to see if the public has finally gotten over their COVID hesitancy and finally feel safe enough to go out and attend public gatherings once again. Ray is scheduled to begin performing concerts once again at the CabaRay on September 4th...several days after the piano bar exclusives come to an end. Now, keep in mind, the piano bar will remain part of the CabaRay experience once it fully re-opens on September 4th. Once the showroom fully re-opens the public will not only have access to the piano bar but also the gift shop. The doors to the performance area open an hour before the concert begins. This is the point in time where, if you purchased a dinner, it'll be served prior to the concert. You can read about the CabaRay piano bar re-opening by clicking HERE.  

Ray Stevens: CabaRay concerts are Returning Soon...

Hello one and all...this is my monthly blog entry about the return of live music and concerts at the Ray Stevens CabaRay showroom this coming September. I wrote a blog entry about this back in April and then I wrote one last month and here we are in late June and this will be my third reminder of the CabaRay re-opening this fall. As of this moment I don't know if I'll write a reminder in July or not...it depends on how many blog entries I write between now and the middle of next month. I looked over in the archives and seen that my previous blog entry about the CabaRay re-opening was buried beneath a lot of blog entries surrounding his audio uploads and more recent happenings and so I decided to just write a third blog entry about the September 4th re-opening of the CabaRay. Tickets are available for online purchase now...but the box office itself won't open until August.

The first concert, as mentioned, is scheduled for September 4th and every concert will take place on a Saturday night through the end of the year. The night begins several hours before showtime. The gift shop and piano bar are open prior to the main concert floor opening up...and there's an optional dinner prior to the concert. In the first two seasons of concerts those who purchased a dinner as part of the concert sat in tables and booths on the first floor near the stage. Those who didn't want a dinner before the concert sat in the balcony. This year they've dropped that policy and will now allow those who don't want a dinner to purchase floor level concert tickets. As it was in 2018 and 2019 the no dinner policy is still in effect for the balcony seats. When you purchase your tickets you indicate whether or not you want dinner.

All of the information is in this LINK. As mentioned, tickets are on sale now for online orders...and you can reserve tickets, too. When you visit the CabaRay webpage and see the calendar, click the arrows to the month of September. When you see each of the concert dates you can click whichever one you want and then a page will pop up with a buy tickets button for that particular concert. The site is not that hard to navigate through. To close the blog entry I wanted to post an update about the current novelty song from Ray Stevens, "Gas". The audio track on YouTube has 8,548 unique views...and pretty much all of those unique views are from people finding the song on their own since it hasn't had much publicity from Ray or the record company, Curb.