RAY STEVENS
Some colossal nerve it took for a guy like Ray Stevens to think he could deliver a raft of childishly silly novelty songs, some bordering on poor taste, then turn 180 degrees with serious, sentimental and sometimes thought-provoking music, teeter-tottering from one type of song to another, achieving success both ways! Sure, many so-called serious artists had one or two humorous tunes in their repertoire. But Ray went off the rails with his strange sense of humor, populating his songs with a comic-strippish cast of characters including a flashy desert nomad, a little lady who wails the blues, a fleet-footed flasher, a yard full of chickens, a teen idol ape and a band with an ape man frontman! In between he protested the practices of tycoon advantage-takers, lamented his weak-in-the-knees romantic tendencies and touched on topics of patriotism, alcoholism and life's daily struggles while insisting the world is a beautiful place. This one-of-a-kind musical ... MORE ››
