This day in history: Harold Ray Ragsdale was born on this day (January 24) in 1939. Known professionally as Ray Stevens, he is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as comedic hits such as "Gitarzan" and "The Streak". He has received gold albums for his music sales. He has worked as a producer, music arranger, and television host. He is an inductee of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and the Christian Music Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Ray Stevens' most memorable song was The Streak. "The Streak" is a country/novelty song written, produced, and sung by Ray Stevens. It was released in February 1974 as the lead single to his album Boogity Boogity. "The Streak" capitalized on the then-popular craze of streaking.
Stevens has stated that he first got the idea for the song while reading a news magazine on an airplane. The magazine included a brief item about streaking, and Stevens thought that it was a "great idea for a song" and started writing notes; later, he wrote some lines after returning home from his trip, but did not complete the song at that time. Some time later, Stevens says he "woke up and it was all over the news. Everywhere you turned, people were talking about streakers". Stevens then rushed to complete and record the song and have it released. According to Stevens, there were already 15 other songs released about streaking by the time his was released, and there ended up being 35 to 40 such records in all.
Other comic hits by Ray Stevens are:
Ray Stevens was Weird Al BEFORE Weird Al. His awards are as follows:
1969: Gold Single – "Gitarzan"
1970: Gold Single – "Everything Is Beautiful"
1970: Grammy – "Everything Is Beautiful" (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance)
1974: Gold Single – "The Streak"
1975: Grammy – "Misty" (Best Arrangement of the Year)
1980: Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction
1980: Georgia Music Hall of Fame induction
1984: Gold Album – He Thinks He's Ray Stevens
1985: Gold Album – I Have Returned
1986–94: Music City News Comedian of the Year
1986: No. 1 Country Album Plaque from Billboard – I Have Returned (week ending March 15, 1986)
1987: Platinum Album – Greatest Hits
1987: Gold Album – Greatest Hits, Volume Two
1990: Gold Album – All-Time Greatest Comic Hits
1992: No. 1 Home Video Plaque from Billboard – Comedy Video Classics
1992: Ten Times-Platinum Home Video – Comedy Video Classics
1993: Billboard Home Video of the Year
1993: Platinum Home Video – Ray Stevens Live!
1995: Platinum Home Video – Get Serious!
1995: Country Weekly Golden Pick Award for Best Comedian
2001: Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame induction
2002: Gold Single – "Osama Yo' Mama"
2009: Christian Music Hall of Fame induction
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