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, whi ...
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 pres ...
-winning recordings "
Everything Is Beautiful" and "
Misty", 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". Stevens has received
gold albums
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 ...
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
Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and the
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
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 research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...
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 not ...
' 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 ...
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 th ...
. He recorded songs for
Barnaby Records and
Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
during 1970–79. Stevens' biggest hit in the U.S. was his gospel-inflected single "
Everything Is Beautiful" (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 pr ...
, 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.
Stevens had a transatlantic chart-topping hit in 1974 with "
The Streak," a novelty song about
streaking 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 ...
" 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," 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", " C ...
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 adverti ...
'' Comedy Album chart.
''RAY-ality TV'' ended its digital TV run in January 2014. In March 2014, a webisode 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. Bo ...
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