Profile of Ray Stevens on Famous Like Me

Ray Stevens (born Harold Ray Ragsdale on January 24, 1939 in Clarkdale, Georgia, now part of Decatur), is an American country music and pop singer-songwriter known for his novelty songs.

Stevens' recording career began with two singles released on Prep Records, followed by a short stint with Capitol Records. Both these recording contracts were made with the help of Atlanta music maven Bill Lowery. Stevens joined Lowery's National Recording Corporation in 1958, where he also was a member of the NRC staff band, playing numerous instruments, arranging, and doing background vocals. When NRC went into bankruptcy, he signed with Mercury Records, and started a series of hit records in the 1960s that included "Ahab the Arab" and "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving, Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green And Purple Pills".

Stevens became a producer and well-known studio musician on the Nashville scene, and recorded hits for Monument, Barnaby, Warner Brothers, MCA, and RCA. Perhaps his most famous hit is "The Streak" (1974), which poked fun at the early-1970s "streaking" fad of running nude in public. Stevens' biggest hit was his gospel-inflected single "Everything Is Beautiful" (1970). A plea for love and tolerance during turbulent times in the United States, the song shot to Number 1 and remained there for weeks in some U.S. and British markets. Stevens has won two Grammy Awards: one for "Everything Is Beautiful" and one for the arrangement of his version of the jazz standard "Misty".

With the popularity of the song "Everything Is Beautiful", Stevens had a variety show on CTV. The Ray Stevens Show appeared in Canada in 1970 and soon appeared in the United States on NBC and the United Kingdom on the BBC. Although it only has eight episodes, it is mostly known for being the show that launched regular cast member Steve Martin's career.

Ray Stevens was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980. Since the 1980s, Stevens has appeared regularly at the country music performing venue of Branson, Missouri. His talents have been showcased in a successful series of videos.

Discography

1950s:

• The NRC Years 1958-1960

1960s:

• 1837 Seconds of Humor - 1962
• This Is Ray Stevens - 1963
• Ray 'Ahab the Arab' Stevens and Hal Winters - 1965
• The Best of Ray Stevens - 1967
• Even Stevens - 1968
• Gitarzan - 1969
• Have a Little Talk with Myself - 1969

1970s:

• Unreal - 1970
• Everything Is Beautiful - 1970
• Ray Stevens Rock & Roll Show - 1971
• Ray Stevens Greatest Hits - 1971
• Losin' Streak - 1973
• Nashville - 1973
• Boogity - Boogity - 1974
• Turn Your Radio On - 1974
• Misty - 1975
• The Very Best of Ray Stevens - 1975
• Both Sides of Ray Stevens - 1976
• Just for the Record - 1976
• Feel the Music - 1977
• The Many Sides of Ray Stevens - 1977
• The Remarkable Ray Stevens - 1977
• There Is Something on Your Mind - 1978
• Be Your Own Best Friend - 1978
• The Feeling's Not Right Again - 1979
• The Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Collection - 1979
• The Best of Ray Stevens - 1979

1980s:

• Shriner's Convention - 1980
• Wild and Crazy - 1980
• Oh Lonesome Me - 1981
• One More Last Chance - 1981
• Don't Laugh Now - 1982
• Turn Your Radio On - 1982
• Greatest Hits - 1983
• Me - 1983
• He Think's He's Ray Stevens - 1984
• Mississippi Squirrel Revival - 1984
• Ray Stevens Collection - 1984
• Ray Stevens Greatest Hits - 1984
• I Have Returned - 1985
• Ray Stevens Collector's Series - 1985
• Surely You Joust - 1986
• The Very Best Of Ray Stevens/Roger Miller - 1986
• Crackin' Up - 1987
• Get the Best of Ray Stevens - 1987
• Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Volume 1 - 1987
• Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Volume 2 - 1987
• I Never Made a Record I Didn't Like - 1988
• Beside Myself - 1989
• Funny Man - 1989
• Ray Stevens - At His Best - 1989

1990s:

• Everything Is Beautiful and Other Hits - 1990
• His All Time Greatest Comic Hits - 1990
• Lend Me Your Ears - 1990
• #1 with a Bullet - 1991
• Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Volume 3 - 1991
• Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Volume 4 - 1991
• Ahab the Arab - 1992
• Everything Is Beautiful - 1992
• Ray Stevens/Jim Stafford - 1992
• The Gospel Side of Ray Stevens - 1992
• A Brighter Day - 1993
• Classic Ray Stevens - 1993
• The Legendary Ray Stevens and Jim Stafford - 1993
• Get Serious! The Original Movie Soundtrack - 1994
• Ray Stevens - 20 Comedy Hits - 1995
• Ray Stevens Live! - 1995
• 3 CD or Cassette Set - 1995
• 3 CD Set - 1995
• Ray Stevens - Everything Is Beautiful - 1996
• Great Gospel Songs - 1996
• Ray Stevens - All-Time Hits - 1996
• Even Stevens - 1996
• Gitarzan - 1996
• Hum It - 1997
• Ray Stevens - The Streak - 1997
• The Best Of Ray Stevens - 1997
• Ray Stevens - Christmas Through a Different Window - 1997
• Ray Stevens - Golden Classics/Collector's Edition - 1997
• Ray Stevens - The Country Hits Collection - 1998
• Ray Stevens: The Last Laugh - 1999

2000s:

• Ear Candy - 2000
• Funniest Characters - 2000
• Ray Stevens All-Time Greatest Hits - 2001
• Osama-Yo' Mama, The Album - 2002

External link

• Discography Index

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ray Stevens