Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III Quiz

Answer: Fatima

Being a Ray Stevens fan can be hard. One, there are so many overlapping compilations. This is out of his control. Two, he's recorded some songs more than once. Some of his older albums have been reissued on CD. May his whole catalog one day be available!
"Ahab the Arab" has a long history. The original single appeared in 1962 on Mercury Records. A longer version was featured on the "1,837 Seconds of Humor" album. You can find this version on "Best Of," Rhino, "All-Time Hits," Polygram, or "20th Century Masters," Universal. The 1970 "Best Of," Mercury, featured a live version. Even if you can find a copy, I don't recommend it.
Many compilations, including "All-Time Greatest Comedy Hits," use the remake from the 1969 Monument "Gitarzan" album. Ray also redid the song for his "Get Serious" video. The soundtrack can be hard to find. Still another remake made it on his recent "Box Set," Curb. Note: almost all of his hits on this collection are remakes.
Faleena was the Mexican girl from Marty Robbins' "El Paso." She later got a song of her own. The Monkees had a hit with "Valleri." Simon and Garfunkel sang about "Cecilia."

Answer: Trumpet

This song was first released as a single in 1966. That version can be found on "All-Time Greatest Hits," Varese Sarabande. Its first album appearance was on the 1969 "Gitarzan" album. The only apparent difference was the addition of fake applause. This album had the format of a live concert.

It got reissued on the 1974 album "Boogity Boogity." Ray has performed this song during some of his TV appearances. Unlike the recording, he only plays the title character.

Answer: Bill Justis

Justis was a producer and arranger. He started out at Sun Records. You may remember his instrumental hit, "Raunchy." Varese Sarabande has reissued the "Gitarzan" album on CD. It's worth checking out. Sam Phillips was the founder of Sun Records. Jack Clement was one of his producer. Clement later worked with other artists, such as Charlie Pride and Don Williams.

Shelby Singleton was Ray's producer at Mercury Records. In 1969, he purchased the Sun Records catalogue from Sam Phillips. Talk about good timing! Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis were both experiencing new popularity. Singleton benefited by reissuing their Sun recordings.

Answer: Strawberry and the Shortcakes

This single first appeared in 1970. Its first album appearance was on "Greatest Hits," Barnaby. It later got reissued on the "Boogity Boogity" album. The voices were created via speeding up the tape, ala the Purple People Eater and Chipmunks.

Answer: Opera

Don't look Ethel! This song wasn't the only one to address a trend. May it never come back! Some folks come awfully close. The single was first released in 1974. It led the "Boogity Boogity" album. Collectibles released it and his 1973 album "Nashville" on a double CD. Talk about a contrast!

Answer: Chicken

What would Glenn Miller think of this version? Roy Clark recorded a guitar instrumental version on his 1963 debut album, "The Lightning Fingers of Roy Clark." It's available on CD. Ray's version first appeared under the group Henhouse Five Plus Two.

Its first album appearance may be "Get the Best of Ray Stevens," a mail-order collection. You should see his band do the song on the video "More Ray Stevens Live." Talk about a hoot! By the way, this may be Ray's easiest song to harmonize with.

Answer: 321

One fan used this number for a wonderful web site about Ray Stevens. He had to take it down due to time and health problems. This song first appeared in 1979. It was the title song of Ray's first album on RCA. The back cover had a cartoon retelling of the song. Ray featured the song in his "Get Serious" video. By the way, he's still popular with the Shriners.

Answer: Pascagoula

This song first appeared in 1984. It was on his debut MCA album, "He Thinks He's Ray Stevens." This album was reissued on CD. Guess which song was the new title? The other cities are also located in Mississippi. Please watch your pronunciation. There's no ox in Biloxi!

Answer: Willard McBain

This song also appeared on his 1984 MCA album. Paul Craft wrote the song. John Ragsdale is Ray's brother. He has worked with Ray on various projects. C.W. Kalb has written many songs for and/or with Ray. The cover of "All-Time Greatest Comedy Hits" shows Ray acting out this part. He puts on the hat, and voila!

Answer: Chet Atkins

This great guitar player and producer was a good friend of Ray's. He appeared in two of Ray's videos. The song first appeared in 1987. It led the "Cracking Up" album.