(For the actor and singer with The Village People, see Ray Stephens.)
Read Full Bio ↴(For the actor and singer with The Village People, see Ray Stephens.)
Ray Stevens (born Harold Ray Ragsdale, 24th January 1939) is an American country and pop singer-songwriter, best known for a series of irreverent, quirky singles such as "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" and "The Streak". His recording career began with two singles released on Prep Records, followed by a short stint with Capitol Records. Both contracts were made with the help of Atlanta, Georgia music maven Bill Lowery.
Stevens joined Lowery's National Recording Corporation in 1958, where he also was a member of the NRC staff band, playing numerous instruments, arranging, and doing background vocals. When NRC went into bankruptcy, he signed with Mercury Records, and started a series of hit records in the 1960s that included "Ahab the Arab" and "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving, Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills". The later song held the record as the longest title to hit the Top 40 chart until being surpassed in 1981 by the Stars on 45 Medley, whose official title included the titles of 10 other songs because of copyright requirements.
Stevens became a producer and well-known studio musician on the Nashville scene, and recorded hits for Monument, Barnaby, Warner Brothers, MCA and RCA. Perhaps his most famous hit is "The Streak" (1974), which poked fun at the early-1970s "streaking" fad of running nude in public; this was a No 1 in both the UK and the USA. His novelty song "Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues)" reached No 2 on the UK chart in 1971.
Stevens' biggest hit was his gospel-inflected single "Everything Is Beautiful" (1970). A plea for love and tolerance during turbulent times in the United States, the song shot to Number 1 there. Stevens has won two Grammy Awards: one for "Everything Is Beautiful" and one for the arrangement of his country and western version of the jazz standard "Misty" (1975). He also recorded a version of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" in the style of a clucking chicken, under the pseudonym Henhouse Five Plus Too. This was a Top 40 hit in the US and UK.
With the popularity of the song "Everything Is Beautiful", Stevens had a variety show on CTV. The Ray Stevens Show appeared in Canada in 1970 and soon appeared in the United States on NBC and the United Kingdom on the BBC. Although it only has eight episodes, it is mostly known for being the show that launched the career of regular cast member Steve Martin.
Ray Stevens was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980. In 1991, Stevens opened the Ray Stevens Theater in Branson, Missouri. He performed there regularly until 2006, when he sold the theater.
In 2012, Stevens released The Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music, an 8-CD collection of what Stevens considered the 96 greatest comedy songs of all-time.
In the fall of 2019, Stevens will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Read Full Bio ↴(For the actor and singer with The Village People, see Ray Stephens.)
Ray Stevens (born Harold Ray Ragsdale, 24th January 1939) is an American country and pop singer-songwriter, best known for a series of irreverent, quirky singles such as "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" and "The Streak". His recording career began with two singles released on Prep Records, followed by a short stint with Capitol Records. Both contracts were made with the help of Atlanta, Georgia music maven Bill Lowery.
Stevens joined Lowery's National Recording Corporation in 1958, where he also was a member of the NRC staff band, playing numerous instruments, arranging, and doing background vocals. When NRC went into bankruptcy, he signed with Mercury Records, and started a series of hit records in the 1960s that included "Ahab the Arab" and "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick-Dissolving, Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills". The later song held the record as the longest title to hit the Top 40 chart until being surpassed in 1981 by the Stars on 45 Medley, whose official title included the titles of 10 other songs because of copyright requirements.
Stevens became a producer and well-known studio musician on the Nashville scene, and recorded hits for Monument, Barnaby, Warner Brothers, MCA and RCA. Perhaps his most famous hit is "The Streak" (1974), which poked fun at the early-1970s "streaking" fad of running nude in public; this was a No 1 in both the UK and the USA. His novelty song "Bridget the Midget (The Queen of the Blues)" reached No 2 on the UK chart in 1971.
Stevens' biggest hit was his gospel-inflected single "Everything Is Beautiful" (1970). A plea for love and tolerance during turbulent times in the United States, the song shot to Number 1 there. Stevens has won two Grammy Awards: one for "Everything Is Beautiful" and one for the arrangement of his country and western version of the jazz standard "Misty" (1975). He also recorded a version of Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" in the style of a clucking chicken, under the pseudonym Henhouse Five Plus Too. This was a Top 40 hit in the US and UK.
With the popularity of the song "Everything Is Beautiful", Stevens had a variety show on CTV. The Ray Stevens Show appeared in Canada in 1970 and soon appeared in the United States on NBC and the United Kingdom on the BBC. Although it only has eight episodes, it is mostly known for being the show that launched the career of regular cast member Steve Martin.
Ray Stevens was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980. In 1991, Stevens opened the Ray Stevens Theater in Branson, Missouri. He performed there regularly until 2006, when he sold the theater.
In 2012, Stevens released The Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music, an 8-CD collection of what Stevens considered the 96 greatest comedy songs of all-time.
In the fall of 2019, Stevens will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Cannonball
Ray Stevens Lyrics
Well, they came to town
With their elephants and clowns
On a hit sticky August day
And every telephone pole
Had a poster that told
Of the thrills that were coming our way
There were trapeze fliers
And men that ate fire
And things we never dreamed existed
And the radio and TV
Told us we'd be
Fools if we dared to miss it.
Now all three rings
Held wondrous things
Marvels of every invention
But the big long shrouded
Shape in the corner
Increasingly drew our attention
There were bareback riders
Lions and tigers
And clowns in their itty bitty car
But every woman and man
And child in the stand
Had come to see the star
Then a hush fell on the crowd
As the men pulled the shroud
From the muzzle that was 30 feet long
And to screams and cheers
He finally appeared
And flamboyantly bowed to the throng
He wore red sequined tights
That sparkled in the lights
And boots that came to his knees
And a chromium
football helmet
And a cape that flapped in the breeze
And the dazzled crowd
Shouted out loud
You could hear them one and all
We want Hugo!
Hugo! Hugo!
The Human Cannonball
The aim was carefully calculated
The trajectory was precise
The charge was carefully measured
And poured into the loading device
The fuse was trimmed, the lights were dimmed
Hugo slid down the barrel and then
All was ready and Hugo's daddy
Counted down from
Ten!
And the drums rolled
Nine
And our blood ran cold
Eight!
The ambulance stood by
Seven!
Several woman cried
Six!
The spotlight hit the net
Five!
No one would ever forget
Four!
Eternity passed
Three!
Every heart beat fast
Two!
And Hugo's daddy said, “Are you ready Hugo?”
One!
And from the bowels of the gun, “I'm a-ready, Papa!”
Boom!
Well, fire and smoke belched
Out of the cannon
And the earth trembled for a while
And the big gun roared
And Hugo soared
Through the air like a projectile.
Two hundred and fifty
Feet he flew
Like an Air Force fighter jet
But at the apex
Of his trajectory
He knew he's gonna miss the net
Oh! Arms flailing
He kept on sailing
A terrified screaming creature
And the crowd scattered
As Hugo splattered
All over the upper bleacher
In the aftermath
Of this tragic event
Disbelief filled every face
There was Hugo
And there was Hugo
There was Hugo all over the place!
Well, the dust has
Finally settled and
The smoke has finally cleared
Hugo's name
And Hugo's fame
Will always be revered
But no one
Ever too his place
No matter who they were
Because they never found
Another man
Of Hugo's – caliber
The Circus' main attraction
The greatest star of all
Was Hugo!
Hugo!
The Human Cannonball!
With their elephants and clowns
On a hit sticky August day
And every telephone pole
Had a poster that told
Of the thrills that were coming our way
There were trapeze fliers
And men that ate fire
And the radio and TV
Told us we'd be
Fools if we dared to miss it.
Now all three rings
Held wondrous things
Marvels of every invention
But the big long shrouded
Shape in the corner
Increasingly drew our attention
There were bareback riders
Lions and tigers
And clowns in their itty bitty car
But every woman and man
And child in the stand
Had come to see the star
Then a hush fell on the crowd
As the men pulled the shroud
From the muzzle that was 30 feet long
And to screams and cheers
He finally appeared
And flamboyantly bowed to the throng
He wore red sequined tights
That sparkled in the lights
And boots that came to his knees
And a chromium
football helmet
And a cape that flapped in the breeze
And the dazzled crowd
Shouted out loud
You could hear them one and all
We want Hugo!
Hugo! Hugo!
The Human Cannonball
The aim was carefully calculated
The trajectory was precise
The charge was carefully measured
And poured into the loading device
The fuse was trimmed, the lights were dimmed
Hugo slid down the barrel and then
All was ready and Hugo's daddy
Counted down from
Ten!
And the drums rolled
Nine
And our blood ran cold
Eight!
The ambulance stood by
Seven!
Several woman cried
Six!
The spotlight hit the net
Five!
No one would ever forget
Four!
Eternity passed
Three!
Every heart beat fast
Two!
And Hugo's daddy said, “Are you ready Hugo?”
One!
And from the bowels of the gun, “I'm a-ready, Papa!”
Boom!
Well, fire and smoke belched
Out of the cannon
And the earth trembled for a while
And the big gun roared
And Hugo soared
Through the air like a projectile.
Two hundred and fifty
Feet he flew
Like an Air Force fighter jet
But at the apex
Of his trajectory
He knew he's gonna miss the net
Oh! Arms flailing
He kept on sailing
A terrified screaming creature
And the crowd scattered
As Hugo splattered
All over the upper bleacher
In the aftermath
Of this tragic event
Disbelief filled every face
There was Hugo
And there was Hugo
There was Hugo all over the place!
Well, the dust has
Finally settled and
The smoke has finally cleared
Hugo's name
And Hugo's fame
Will always be revered
But no one
Ever too his place
No matter who they were
Because they never found
Another man
Of Hugo's – caliber
The Circus' main attraction
The greatest star of all
Was Hugo!
Hugo!
The Human Cannonball!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@Aaronozard
Used to watch this film over and over as a kid, the opening credits ❤
@KozmoDyne
I feel like the fact that this was themed for a movie overshadowed the amazing talent this song shows. Every bit of it: the lyrics, the beat, the instrumentation, the effects and Rays vocals. It feels like racing. From the moment the song opens, you can feel the surging rush, the climbing pace and frenzied rise of speed. Its practically an anthem for racing. He made his mark and niche in comedy but doesn't get enough credit as just being a brilliant musician.
@CrstnJdiKnight
I agree. Way under rated performer and musician, like Wierd Al Yonkavich (for like the song WORD CRIMES ). ^_^
@RoadCone411
Word Crimes may not be the first Weird Al song most people think of but it’s pure genius…
@Super_Quiche
He really didn't have to go this hard for a theme song and yet he did. Epic song and story told in the lyrics.
@Justin-dc6kz
I agree that it's a great song but I disagree that being a "movie song" did any kind of disservice to this amazing song, I believe that it being a movie song got it to more ears than would've heard it on just the radio alone. I say this because I was alive back then and rarely ever heard it on the radio
@robertmorris8997
He got a Grammy for Misty.
@shadizersilverhand2113
Awesome songs like this make me want to crank the volume up on the TV till I almost can't handle it, they're just so powerful and captivating.
@HSWDeaconblues
This is a great song. What I keep replaying is the sound of the Lambo punching it. Best part is the throttle blip on the downshift. Whoever is driving, maybe Needham himself, knows what they’re doing and it’s excellent to hear.
@1981TURBOTRANSAM1
I often wondered if it was Hal Needham himself driving…….