Ray Stevens (musician)

Ray Stevens

Ray Stevens (born January 24, 1939 in Clarkdale , Georgia ; actually Harold Ray Ragsdale ) is an American singer who was able to celebrate great success in Europe in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly with novelty songs .

Career

Stevens' career began as a DJ in 1956 . He had his first success as a singer in 1961. He produced the song with the longest name that was ever listed in the US charts : Jeremiah Peabody's Poly-Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green and Purple Pills ("Jeremiah Peabody's polyunsaturated, quick-dissolving, quick-acting, great-tasting green and purple pills ”). It reached number 35.

From then on, he got numerous hits, including some million sellers . The singles Gitarzan , Everything Is Beautiful and The Streak were awarded gold records . His breakthrough came in 1962 with the title Ahab the Arab , which reached number 5 on the charts. Other top 20 hits were Harry the Hairy Ape in 1963 and Gitarzan in 1969 . Stevens had his first number 1 hit with Everything Is Beautiful in 1970 and his second with The Streak in 1974 .

After moving from Mercury Records to Monument Records in 1966, he also appeared again and again in the country hit parades in the USA, but mainly with his recordings, which were released on Barnaby Records from 1970.

In 1981 he contributed to the soundtrack of the film On the Highway, Hell is Going (original title The Cannonball Run ) the title song Cannonball and the title For the Hell of It . For the follow-up film On the Highway, Hell is Going Again (1984) ( The Cannonball Run II ), the song Cannonball was also used.

In German-speaking countries he was best known for the songs Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues) (1971 4th place in Austria) and The Streak , with which he referred to the then fashionable racers in 1974 . From this song NASCAR commentator Darrell Waltrip got his famous words "Boogity, boogity, boogity!" adopted at the start of a race.

Discography

Albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	UK	US
1962	1,837 Seconds of Humor	-	-	-	US135 (2 weeks) US
1969	Gitarzan	-	-	-	US57 (13 weeks) US
1970	Everything is beautiful	-	-	UK62 (1 week) UK	US35 (19 weeks) US
1971	Ray Stevens ... Unreal !!!	-	-	-	US141 (8 weeks) US
1972	Turn Your Radio On	-	-	-	US175 (9 weeks) US
1974	Boogity Boogity	-	-	-	US159 (11 weeks) US
1975	Misty	-	-	UK23 (7 weeks) UK	US106 (14 weeks) US
1980	Shriner's Convention	-	-	-	US132 (8 weeks) US
1985	He Thinks He's Ray Stevens	-	-	-	US118 platinum (19 weeks)US

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More albums

1963: This Is Ray Stevens 1968: Even Stevens 1969: Have a Little Talk with Myself 1971: Rock & Roll Show 1973: Nashville 1973: Ray Stevens Featuring Losin 'Streak 1976: Just for the Record 1977: Feel the Music 1977: There Is Something on Your Mind 1978: Be Your Own Best Friend 1979: The Feeling's Not Right Again

1981: One More Last Chance 1981: Oh Lonesome Me 1982: Don't Laugh Now 1985: I Have Returned (US:gold) 1986: Surely You Joust 1987: Crackin 'Up 1988: I Never Made a Record I Didn't Like 1989: Beside Myself 1990: Lend Me Your Ears 1997: Christmas Through a Different Window 2002: Osama-Yo 'Mama - The Album

Compilations

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	UK	US
1971	Ray Stevens' Greatest Hits	-	-	-	US95 (8 weeks) US
1975	The Very Best of Ray Stevens	-	-	-	US173 (4 weeks) US

More compilations

1968: The Best of Ray Stevens 1970: The Best of Ray Stevens 1975: Greatest Hits 1977: The Remarkable Ray Stevens 1979: The Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Collection (2 LPs) 1980: The Best of Ray Stevens 1981: Greatest Hits 1983: Greatest Hits

1983: Ray Stevens 1987: Ray Stevens Greatest Hits (US:platinum) 1987: Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (US:gold) 1987: Get the Best Of 1990: His All-Time Greatest Comic Hits (US:gold) 1991: Everything Is Beautiful - His Greatest Hits 1997: The Best of Ray Stevens 2004: The Best of Ray Stevens

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	UK	US
1961	Jeremiah Peabody's Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green and Purple Pills 1,837 Seconds of Humor	-	-	-	US35 (6 weeks) US
1962	Ahab, the Arab 1,837 Seconds of Humor	-	-	-	US5 (11 weeks) US
	Further More 1,837 Seconds of Humor	-	-	-	US91 (3 weeks) US
	Santa Claus Is Watching You The Best of Ray Stevens	-	-	-	US45 (3 weeks) US
1963	Funny Man This Is Ray Stevens	-	-	-	US81 (3 weeks) US
	Harry the Hairy Ape This Is Ray Stevens	-	-	-	US17 (9 weeks) US
	Speed ​​Ball This Is Ray Stevens	-	-	-	US59 (3 weeks) US
1966	Freddie Feelgood (And His Funky Little Five Piece Band) The Remarkable Ray Stevens	-	-	-	US91 (2 weeks) US
1968	Unwind Even Stevens	-	-	-	US52 (9 weeks) US
	Mr. Businessman Even Stevens	-	-	-	US28 (7 weeks) US
1969	Gitarzan Gitarzan	-	-	-	US8th gold (13 weeks)US
	Along Came Jones Gitarzan	-	-	-	US27 (8 weeks) US
	Sunday Mornin 'Comin' Down Have a Little Talk with Myself	-	-	-	US81 (3 weeks) US
1970	Everything Is Beautiful Everything Is Beautiful	-	-	UK6 (16 weeks) UK	US1 gold (15 weeks)US
	America, Communicate with Me Unreal !!!	-	-	-	US45 (6 weeks) US
	Sunset Strip Unreal !!!	-	-	-	US81 (4 weeks) US
	Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues) Ray Stevens' Greatest Hits	DE33 (4 weeks) DE	AT4 (8 weeks) AT	UK2 (14 weeks) UK	US50 (10 weeks) US
1971	A Mama and a Papa Turn Your Radio On	-	-	-	US82 (3 weeks) US
	All My Trials Turn Your Radio On	-	-	-	US70 (6 weeks) US
	Turn Your Radio On Turn Your Radio On	-	-	UK33 (4 weeks) UK	US63 (7 weeks) US
1974	The Streak Boogity Boogity	DE43 (1 week) DE	-	UK1 silver (12 weeks)UK	US1 gold (17 weeks)US
	Moonlight Special Boogity Boogity	-	-	-	US73 (7 weeks) US
1975	Misty Misty	-	AT11 (4 weeks) AT	UK2 silver (10 weeks)UK	US14 (16 weeks) US
	Indian Love Call Misty	-	-	UK34 (4 weeks) UK	US68 (5 weeks) US
1976	Young Love Misty	-	-	-	US93 (2 weeks) US
1977	In the Mood Ray Stevens Greatest Hits Vol. 2	-	-	UK31 (4 weeks) UK	US40 (7 weeks) US
1979	I Need Your Help Barry Manilow The Feeling's Not Right Again	-	-	-	US49 (8 weeks) US

gray hatching : no chart data available for this year

More singles

1957: Rang Tang Ding Dong (I'm the Japanese Sandman) 1957: Five More Steps 1958: Chickie-Chickie Wah Wah 1958: Love Goes On Forever 1958: The Clown 1959: High School Yearbook - A Deck of Cards 1959: My Heart Cries for You 1960: Sergeant Preston of the Yukon 1961: Scratch My Back (I Love It) 1961: White Christmas 1964: Butch Babarian 1964: Bubble Gum the Bubble Dancer 1965: The Rockin 'Teenage Mummies 1965: Mr. Baker, the Undertaker 1965: Party People 1966: Devil May Care 1967: Answer Me, My Love 1968: The Great Escape 1969: Have a Little Talk with Myself 1970: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight 1972: Love Lifted Me 1973: Losing streak 1973: Nashville 1973: Love Me Longer 1974: Everybody Needs a Rainbow

1976: Lady of Spain 1976: You Are so Beautiful 1976: Honky Tonk Waltz 1977: Get Crazy with Me 1977: Feel the Music 1978: Be Your Own Best Friend 1979: Get Crazy with Me 1980: Night Games 1980: Shriner's Convention 1981: One More Last Chance 1982: Where the Sun Don't Shine 1983: Love Will Beat Your Brains Out 1984: I'm Kissin 'You Goodbye 1984: Mississippi Squirrel Revival 1985: The Ballad of the Blue Cyclone 1985: It's Me Again, Margaret 1985: The Haircut Song 1985: Santa Claus Is Watching You 1986: People's Court 1987: Would Jesus Wear a Rolex? 1987: Three-Legged Man 1988: Surfin 'USSR 1988: The Day I Tried to Teach Charlene MacKenzie How to Drive 1989: I Saw Elvis in A UFO 1990: Sittin 'Up with the Dead 1993: The Motel Song

Videos

• 1992: Comedy Video Classics (US:× 4Quadruple platinum )
• 1994: Ray Stevens Live!
• 2004: Complete Comedy Video Collection
• 2009: Cartoon Carnival, Vol. 1
• 2009: Cartoon Carnival, Vol. 2

swell

1. ^ White, Adam: The Billboard Book of Gold and Platinum Records . 2nd revised edition, London: Omnibus Press, 1990, p. 192
2. ↑ Ray Stevens wrote and produced the title himself. US catalog number: Barnaby 2011
3. ↑ For more information on the titles, see Bronson. Fred: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, 1992, pp. 274 and 365
4. ^ Joel Whitburn: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls / Wisconsin: Record Research Inc., 1994, pp. 571f
5. ↑ https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2019/04/05/behind-the-boogity-darrell-waltrip-boogity-origin-story/
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Chart sources: Singles Albums UK US
7. ↑ ^{a b} The Billboard album by Joel Whitburn , 6th Edition, Record Research 2006, ISBN 0-89820-166-7 .
8. ↑ ^{a b c} gold / platinum databases: DE AT UK US

Web links

• Official website (English)
• Ray Stevens at Allmusic (English)
• Ray Stevens at Discogs (English)