RAY STEVEN'S OFTEN HEARD LITTLE RECOGNIZED?
Stevens' recording career began in the mid-1950s In the 1960s his hits included songs such as "Ahab the Arab," "Harry the Hairy Ape," "Funny Man," the original recording of "Santa Claus is Watching You," and "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving, Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills." THIS WAS AN MLM HIT! One of the most memorable was the original version of "Sunday Morning Coming Down" in 1969, which became Steven's first two singles to reach the country music charts; Johnny Cash's recording of "Sunday Morning Coming Down" was a hit in 1970. Stevens continued releasing novelty songs, and in 1969 he had a million-selling Top 10 pop hit with "Gitarzan." Stevens also became a regular on The Andy Williams Show during the 1969–1970 season, and he even hosted his own summer show, The Ray Stevens Show, in 1970.
Ray Stevens' biggest hit in the US was his gospel-inflected single "Everything Is Beautiful" (1970), a plea for love and tolerance. that was in the top 40 forever this was followed by hit single in early 1972 with "Turn Your Radio On," reaching the country Top 20. Two more of Steven's songs in 1972 were also minor pop hits, "A Mama and a Papa" and "All My Trials," both crossed over to the Top 40 Adult-Contemporary lists. In 1974, Stevens recorded perhaps his most famous hit, "The Streak," which poked fun at the early-1970s fad of running nude in public, known as "streaking." It made No. 1 in both the UK and the USA. Other hits in the 70's were "Nashville." and No. 3 on the country chart. In 1975, he released the Grammy-winning "Misty. He continued the 70's with three hit singles in a row along with a version of "You Are So Beautiful," that hit the Top 20. Another MLM - Network Marketing favorite.
Ray Stevens switched in 1984 as a "country comedy" act and thereafter released only novelty song albums. Stevens's first two albums were both successful, both hitting sales of over half a million. His next series of albums were high sellers as well. The fan-voted Music City News awards named Stevens Comedian of the Year annually for nine consecutive years from 1986 to 1994. However. Radio stations downgraded hiis comedy–novelty songs, and country radio resisted playing songs that were not serious. Even though it meant little airplay, the sales and overall popularity Stevens was enjoying during the 1980s and into the 1990s because of the switch to all-comedy was a runaway success. His newer and younger fans bought many of the greatest hits albums MCA and other record labels had released during the 1980s.
An MLM - Networking hit was "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex" is the only single during the 80's that came close to reaching the Top 40, stalling at #41 in 1987.
Ray Stevens took the 90's off so to speak returning in 2002 with "Osama Yo' Mama", which made the country Top 50, reached the Top-5 on the country single sales chart, achieved Gold selling status, and the album of the same name reached the country Top-30. After the release of this album and a popular on-line music video, Stevens retreated out of the spotlight again. An obscure release called "The New Battle of New Orleans" came along in 2005 as a satiric response to the vandals and looters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In 2007 Ray Steven put out a serious salute to Louisiana in the form of the CD New Orleans Moon, on his own label. The superb CD was not promoted heavily and few, outside of his fan-base, are aware of its existence. The following year Stevens issued the album Hurricane, also on his own label. The CD was released twice, actually. It hit in February of 2008 as an exclusive offer at Stevens' on-line music store at his website followed by a public release. Ray Stevens kept going 2009 saw the release of One for the Road, a CD aimed primarily at truckers. It was sold exclusively at the Pilot truck stops for several weeks prior to its release nationally.
In 2009 Ray Stevens found himself being inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame and he appeared on the PBS series Legends and Lyrics. His website features a TV show We Ain't Dead available to subscribers at his web page. The subscription is his web-page called Ray Stevens Backstage and each month a different episode becomes available. Also in 2009 Ray Stevens released a holiday collection non comedy songs "Ray Stevens" Christmas.
Stevens issued the single "We The People" in December 2009 it jumped to over a million view on YouTube in weeks.. The song is about the controversial health care bill that was then being debated in Congress. The song asks members of Congress not to pass health care, dubbed Obama Care, because not only voting in favor of the bill will likely mean political suicide during the next round of elections in 2010 but most national polls suggest that the country doesn't want a massive health care over-haul but instead prefers improvements on the current system.
RAY STEVEN SONG LIST AND AWARDS
Stevens has won two Grammy Awards: one for "Everything Is Beautiful" and one for the arrangement of his country and western version of the jazz standard "Misty" (1975). Stevens was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.
[edit] Other awards
* 1969: Gold Single Ray Stevens — "Gitarzan" (over 1,000,000 copies sold)
* 1970: Gold Single — Ray Stevens "Everything Is Beautiful" (nearly 3,000,000 copies sold)
* 1970: Grammy —Ray Stevens "Everything Is Beautiful" (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance)
* 1974: Gold Single —Ray Stevens "The Streak" (nearly 5,000,000 copies sold)
* 1975: Grammy — Ray Stevens "Misty" (Best Arrangement of the Year)
* 1980: Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
* 1980: Georgia Music Hall of Fame
* 1984: Gold Album —Ray Stevens "He Thinks He's Ray Stevens" (over 500,000 sold)
* 1985: Gold Album — Ray Stevens "I Have Returned" (over 500,000 sold)
* 1986: Music City News Comedian of the Year - Ray Stevens
* 1986: #1 Country Album Plaque from Billboard — Ray Stevens "I Have Returned" (March 15, 1986)
* 1987: Music City News Comedian of the Year - Ray Stevens
* 1987: Platinum Album — Ray Stevens "Greatest Hits" (MCA; over 1,000,000 copies sold)
* 1987: Gold Album — Ray Stevens "Greatest Hits, Volume Two" (MCA; over 500,000 copies sold)
* 1988: Music City News Comedian of the Year -Ray Stevens
* 1989: Music City News Comedian of the Year - Ray Stevens
* 1990: Music City News Comedian of the Year - Ray Stevens
* 1990: Gold Album — Ray Stevens "All-Time Greatest Comic Hits" (CURB; over 500,000 copies sold)
* 1991: Music City News Comedian of the Year
* 1992: Music City News Comedian of the Year
* 1992: #1 Home Video Plaque from Billboard — "Comedy Video Classics"
* 1992: Ten Times-Platinum Home Video — Ray Stevens "Comedy Video Classics" (1,000,000 copies sold)
* 1993: Billboard Home Video of the Year
* 1993: Music City News Comedian of the Year
* 1993: Platinum Home Video — "Ray Stevens Live!" (over 100,000 copies sold)
* 1994: Music City News Comedian of the Year
* 1995: Platinum Home Video — Ray Stevens "Get Serious!" (over 100,000 copies sold)
* 1995: Country Weekly Golden Pick Award "Best Comedian"
* 2002: Gold Single — Ray Stevens "Osama Yo' Mama" (over 500,000 copies sold)
* 2009: Christian Music Hall of Fame
