Ray Stevens Trivia

1. His first hit. What colour are the pills that Jeremiah Peabody will prescribe, that will cure all ailments?

From Quiz Ray Stevens- The Novelty Songs

Answer: Green and purple

'Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills' are good for neuritis, neuralgia, beriberi, fungus, water on the knee, hammers in your head, and heaps of other stuff, and all for $1.98 a bottle! It was the longest song title on the charts until it was surpassed by the 1981 release of 'Medley: Intro Venus/Sugar Sugar/No Reply/I'll Be Back/Drive My Car/Do You Want to Know a Secret/We Can Work It Out/I Should Have Known Better/Nowhere Man/You're Going to Lose That Girl/Stars on 45', better known as 'Stars on 45'. The song was released in 1961 and reached 35 on the Billboard charts. It came from the album '1,837 Seconds of Humor'.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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."

From Quiz Ray Stevens, Musical Funny Man, Part II

Answer: Merv Griffin

This album first appeared on the Monument label in 1969. It remains one of his best. Besides the title song, he offered 10 more funny numbers. He had a hit with his version of "Along Came Jones." Other songs include: "Mr. Custer," "Alley Oop," and his own "Freddie Feel Good (and his Funky Little Five Piece Band." The remakes of "Ahab the Arab" and "Harry the Hairy Ape" have appeared on many compilation albums. This album was reissued on the Varese Sarabande label. Alas, it didn't include the original liner notes.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man,Part I

Answer: Harold Ray Ragsdale

Ray was born in Clarksdale, GA. I have an uncle named Donald Ray. Another uncle is named Andrew. C.W. Kalb is a songwriter who has written many songs for and/or with Ray.

From Quiz Ray Stevens- The Novelty Songs

Answer: Fish

Ray and Harold decided to go fishing but Harold got drunk. When he saw the anchor rope in the boat, he thought it was a big snake, and blasted it with a shotgun, blowing a huge hole in the bottom of the boat. Holes in boats are not good, and the boat sank. When a helicopter arrived to rescue them, Harold thought its searchlight was a sign from God, and immediately swore off the booze for life!

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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.

From Quiz Ray Stevens, Musical Funny Man, Part II

Answer: Trumpet

Ray did one session with Elvis in the 60s. He only cut 2 songs, both originally released as B-sides. (Source: Elvis Presley: A Life In Music, The Complete Recording Sessions) In one article, Ray admitted that he wasn't that proficent on the instrument. He did play a solo on "Spinning Wheel," which appeared on his 1969 "Have A Little Talk With Myself" album.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man,Part I

Answer: January 24, 1939

The other dates, though not the years, are the birthdays of my parents and yours truly.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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.

From Quiz Ray Stevens, Musical Funny Man, Part II

Answer: Marie Osmond

B.J. Thomas had a hit with "Mr. Businessman." O.C. Smith scored with "Isn't It Lonely Together?" Captain and Tennille did well with "Can't Stop Dancing." Marie Osmond did cover "Everything Is Beautiful" on her "Paper Roses" album. That appears to be his most covered song.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man,Part I

Answer: Sgt. Preston Of The Yukon

This 1959 recording for the NRC label had sold several thousand copies. But it had to be withdrawn when the syndicate who owned the character protested. Ray didn't know that he needed their permission! It is available on the Varese Sarabande album "All-Time Greatest Hits." The song includes a mention of Rin Tin Tin. He did record " "Dudley Doo-Right Of The Highway Patrol" many years later. His first chart appearance was in 1961 with "Jeremiah Peabody's Poly Unsaturated, Quick Dissolving, Fast Acting, Pleasant Tasting, Green and Purple Pills." This song is available on "The Best Of Ray Stevens," Rhino. (The liner notes for these albums were very helpful for this quiz.)

From Quiz Ray Stevens- The Novelty Songs

Answer: Teenage Mutant Kung Fu Chickens

The 'Teenage Mutant Kung Fu Chickens' were named Fricassee, Cordon Bleu, Cacciatore, and Stew. They were affected by radioactive water when they were still eggs, but the world is thankful that they on the side of good, because they are angry and BIG! The song did not chart, but it should have. 'Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead' is an actual comedy movie starring Christina Applegate. The other two wrong answers are just figments of my imagination.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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.

From Quiz Ray Stevens, Musical Funny Man, Part II

Answer: Bye Bye Love

Was that one tricky or what? S and G have long noted the Everly Brothers' influence on their work. They covered "Bye Bye Love" on their "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album. They later sang "Wake Up, Little Susie" at their Central Park concert. They most recently toured with the Everly Brothers. Ray covered "Bye Bye Love" on his "Losin' Streak" album.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man,Part I

Answer: Clyde

"Ahab The Arab" first appeared in 1962. The Rhino collection includes the original album version. (It's longer than the single.) The Varese collection features a remake done for the 1969 "Gitarzan" album. The camel logo has appeared on many of his recordings. He has also used its name for a record label and video company. Many of his songs were published by Ahab Music.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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!

From Quiz Ray Stevens, Musical Funny Man, Part II

Answer: Dr. Demento

That one should have been easy. Dr. Demento has frequently featured Ray's work, even the more obscure early novelty songs, on his program and CD collections. It's almost impossible to have any novelty song anthology without at least one Ray Stevens song.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man,Part I

Answer: A bathtub

This album appeared in 1963. It was his second album for Mercury Records. "Harry The Hairy Ape" and "Speedball" were on this album. It is currently out of print. I got my copy off ebay.

From Quiz Ray Stevens- The Novelty Songs

Answer: In a U.F.O.

A rather silly song, but quite catchy. Mr R.V. Frisbee was out fishing when a pink UFO materialised in front of him! When the door open, he saw Elvis inside, but he had company- Jimmy Hoffa, Liberace, Colonel Parker, and even Howard Hughes were in there, too. The aliens were not the standard little green men- they were actually pink and sounded just like the Jordanaires. The song came from the album, 'Beside Myself'.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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.

From Quiz Ray Stevens, Musical Funny Man, Part II

Answer: Let It Be

Ray covered "Help," "Hey Jude," and "Fool On The Hill" on his 1969 "Have A Little Talk With Myself" album. He cut "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" and "Something" on his 1970 "Everything Is Beautiful" album. I particularly recommend his versions of "Help" and "Something." Unfortunately, most of these cuts aren't available on CD yet. The original albums do turn up on ebay.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man,Part I

Answer: Santa Claus Is Watching You

This song has the camel subbing for Rudolph, who dislocated his hip in a twist contest. It is available on the Rhino collection. The 80s remake has almost entirely different lyrics. It was included in the video "Comedy Video Classics." The camel was nowhere around!

From Quiz Ray Stevens- The Novelty Songs

Answer: It's Me Again, Margaret

Willard McBane rings Margaret, a stranger, and makes crude comments. She called the police and they tracked him to a phonebox, where he was duly arrested. He was given his one obligatory phone call- can you guess who he called? 'Mr Businessman' is a rather dark song, highlighting the morality, or lack thereof, of corporate America. 'Yackety Yak' was a big hit for The Coasters in 1958 and covered by Ray in 1969. '867 5309' was a one-hit wonder for Tommy Tutone, in 1981.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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.

From Quiz Ray Stevens, Musical Funny Man, Part II

Answer: Andy Williams

Andy Williams' brother Don managed Ray. This connection led to Ray joining the Barnaby label, which Andy Williams owned. (He started it after buying out the Cadence label, where he once recorded. This included the early Everly Brothers hits.) Also, Ray hosted Andy Williams' summer replacement show on NBC. Cass Elliot was a regular! Who else would love to see it again?

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man,Part I

Answer: Unwind

Ray didn't want to be typecast as a novelty singer. So he quit recording for two years. His tenure at Monument Records brought him some attention as a serious singer. Yet there would be more novelty hits too. It is on both the Rhino and Varese collections.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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!

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man,Part I

Answer: Dolly Parton

Dolly also spent time at the Monument label. Some written accounts suggest problems. Apparently Ray had tried to record her as a pop singer. She threatened to leave the label, if she couldn't record country. (The source is "The View From Nashville," by Ralph Emery with Patsi Bale Cox.) Judging from her later crossover success, he may have just been before his time. He later appeared on her 70s syndicated program. They dueted on a song he'd produced for her: "Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby."

From Quiz Ray Stevens- The Novelty Songs

Answer: Taylor Swift

'Taylor Swift Is Stalkin' Me' is a fun song (it would not be in my quiz if it wasn't), and a tribute to TayTay. The lyrics quote several of her song titles, including 'I Knew You Were Trouble', 'Love Story', 'You Belong To Me', '22', and 'Tears On Her Guitar' (sic). The singer is a patient at the Asylum for the Dangerously Daffy and Definitely Delusional, who believe Taylor is watching him, but eventually realises that the only thing watching him is a hootie owl! Stevens was well into his 70s when he released the album 'Here We Go Again' in 2015, his 121st! His first album came out in 1962.

From Quiz Ray Stevens: Musical Funny Man, Part III

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!

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:47 AM

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