Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-winning recordings "

Everything Is Beautiful "Everything Is Beautiful" is a song written, composed, and performed by Ray Stevens. It has appeared on many of Stevens's albums, including one named after the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious performances. The childre ...

" and "

Misty Misty may refer to: Music * ''Misty'' (Ray Stevens album), an album by Ray Stevens featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Richard "Groove" Holmes album), an album by Richard "Groove" Holmes featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Eddie "Lockjaw" ...

", as well as novelty hits such as "

Gitarzan "Gitarzan" is a novelty song released by Ray Stevens in 1969 about a character who lives in a jungle and forms a musical band with his female partner, Jane, and their pet monkey. The song features Tarzan's jungle calls, scat singing, and a funky ...

" and "

The Streak Streak or streaking may refer to: *Streaking, running naked in a public place *Streaking or surfactant leaching in acrylic paints * Streaking (microbiology), a method of purifying micro-organisms *Streak (mineralogy), the color left by a mineral ...

". Stevens has received gold albums for his music sales and has worked as a producer, music arranger, and television host. He is also an inductee of the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is u ...

, the

Georgia Music Hall of Fame The Georgia Music Hall of Fame was a hall of fame to recognize music performers and music industry professionals from or connected to the state of Georgia. It began with efforts of the state's lieutenant governor Zell Miller to attract the music ...

, the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and the

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...

Early life

Harold Ray Ragsdale was born on January 24, 1939, in

Clarkdale, Georgia Clarkdale is an unincorporated community west-northwest of Atlanta, Georgia in southwestern Cobb County, between Powder Springs and Austell. It has a post office with ZIP Code 30111 and is the hometown of Novelty and Country singer Ray Stevens. ...

. He is the elder of two sons born to Willis Harold Ragsdale (1915–2001) and Frances Stephens Ragsdale (1916–97). He has a younger brother, John, who was an actor and writer. John died in 2020 at the age of 75. While attending high school, Stevens formed his first band, a

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

group named The Barons. Following his graduation, Stevens enrolled in

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a Public university, public research university in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the ...

as a music major.

Career

Early career

At age 18, Stevens signed to

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

' Prep Records division in 1957, and produced the single "Silver Bracelet", with a cover of "Rang Tang Ding Dong" as the B-side. The single was met with a positive review from ''Billboard''. The B-side was originally recorded by doo-wop group The Cellos in 1956. Stevens signed with

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

in 1961.

1970s

In the 1970s, Stevens became a producer and studio musician in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. He recorded songs for

Barnaby Records Barnaby Records was an American record company founded by singer Andy Williams in 1963 with his purchase of soon-to-be-liquidated Cadence Records. It held the rights to work by a number of popular music performers including Williams work before ...

and

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

during 1970–79. Stevens' biggest hit in the U.S. was his gospel-inflected single "

" (1970). The single won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, was the theme song for his summer 1970 TV show, hit number one on both the pop and Adult-Contemporary charts, and marked his first time in the Top 40 on the country charts, peaking at number 39. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. Stevens had a transatlantic chart-topping hit in 1974 with "

," a novelty song about

streaking Streaking is the act of running, often naked, through a public area for publicity, as a prank, a dare, or a form of protest. Streaking is often associated with sporting events, but can occur in more secluded areas. Streakers are often pursued b ...

that reached number one on the American and British singles charts. Through the late 1970s and early 1980s, with some exceptions (such as "

Shriner's Convention "Shriners Convention" is a song written and recorded by American musician Ray Stevens. It is based on Stevens' experiences at an Atlanta hotel where an actual Shriners convention was being held.''Music City News''. June 1986. Shriners have taken t ...

" in 1981), Stevens focused mostly on serious material, as he felt that the novelty song was becoming less popular in the era. Stevens had an adult contemporary crossover hit in 1979 with "

I Need Your Help Barry Manilow "I Need Your Help Barry Manilow" is a 1979 song by Dale Gonyea, sung by Ray Stevens. It was the first track on Stevens' album, '' The Feeling's Not Right Again''. The single's release in March preceded the release of the album in June. The single ...

," a cut from Stevens's

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...

tribute/parody album '' The Feeling's Not Right Again''.

1980s

Stevens then joined MCA in 1984. Feeling that novelty songs were becoming popular again, he authorized the rush release of "

Mississippi Squirrel Revival "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" is a song by American country music singer Ray Stevens. It is a single from his 1984 album ''He Thinks He's Ray Stevens''. Content A young boy visiting relatives in Pascagoula, Mississippi catches a wild squirrel, wh ...

" in 1984, which reached the country top 20. In 1985 he performed at the Lanierland Music Park in Georgia with Pinkard & Bowden.

21st century

In April 2010, Stevens released ''We the People'', a CD/DVD of political songs. This album reached Top-5 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Comedy Album chart. ''RAY-ality TV'' ended its digital TV run in January 2014. In March 2014, a

webisode A webisode (portmanteau of "web" and "episode") is an episode of a series that is distributed as part of a web series or on streaming television. It is available as either for download or in streaming, as opposed to first airing on broadcast or c ...

series, also titled ''Rayality TV'' was launched. In 2014, Stevens co-starred in the movie ''Campin' Buddies''. Stevens published his autobiographical memoir ''Ray Stevens' Nashville'' in 2014. Stevens released the album ''Here We Go Again'' on March 24, 2015, which includes the

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

spoof single "Taylor Swift is Stalking Me" and "Come to the USA".

Personal life

Stevens was married to Penny Jackson Ragsdale for over 60 years, until her death on December 31, 2021, from a lengthy battle with cancer. Two days prior, he had canceled his New Year's Eve concert at CabaRay, due to Penny's rapidly declining health. They had two children and four grandchildren.

Discography

Accolades

Grammy awards

References

External links

* *
Tom Redmond – Working with Chet Atkins: An Interview with Ray Stevens

Ray Stevens Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2014) {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Ray 1939 births 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists American comedy musicians American country keyboardists American country pianists American country singer-songwriters American male pianists American male singer-songwriters American novelty song performers CBS Records artists Country Music Hall of Fame inductees country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Curb Records artists Georgia State University alumni Grammy Award winners living people MCA Records artists Mercury Records artists Monument Records artists National Recording Corporation artists people from Cobb County, Georgia RCA Records artists singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) Warner Records artists