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.
Jambalaya
Ray Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me gotta' go pole the pirogue down the bayou
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun, on the bayou.
Jumbalaya, and a crawfish pie, and a file gumbo.
Cause' tonight I'm gonna' see my Machez a mio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay- oh
Thibodeaux, Fontainbleau, the place is buzzin'
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Dress in style, go hog wild, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Jumbalaya, and a crawfish pie, and a file gumbo.
Cause' tonight I'm gonna' see my Machez a mio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay- oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun, on the bayou.
Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a fillet gumbo
Cause tonight I'm gonna see my machez a mio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
The lyrics of Ray Stevens's song Jambalaya tell the story of the singer, who is saying farewell to his friend Joe and leaving to go down the bayou on a pirogue. He is going to meet his sweetheart Yvonne, who is described as "the sweetest one." The singer is excited about the night ahead, which will include eating traditional Cajun dishes like jambalaya, crawfish pie, and filé gumbo, as well as playing music and having a good time with his friends. The lyrics include references to places in Louisiana like Thibodeaux and Fontainbleau, and imply that the night will be a wild and joyous one.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye Joe, me gotta' go, me oh my oh
Farewell, Joe, I have to leave, my goodness
Me gotta' go pole the pirogue down the bayou
I have to go navigate the flat-bottomed boat down the river
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh
My beloved Yvonne, the most delightful one
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun, on the bayou.
We'll have a great time on the river
Jumbalaya, and a crawfish pie, and a file gumbo.
A spicy rice bowl, a savoury crustacean dish, and a stew made with roux
Cause' tonight I'm gonna' see my Machez a mio
Because tonight I'll be reunited with my dear girlfriend
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar, and be gay- oh
Play the guitar, refill our drinks, and have a merry time
Thibodeaux, Fontainbleau, the place is buzzin'
Thibodeaux and Fontainbleau are lively and busy
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Many relatives come to visit Yvonne
Dress in style, go hog wild, me oh my oh
Dress up and have a wild time
Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and-a fillet gumbo
A spicy rice dish, a crustacean pie, and a stew made with fish fillets
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun, on the bayou.
We'll have a great time on the river
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
We'll have a great time on the river
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.
We'll have a great time on the river
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David W.
on The Ballad of Jake McClusky
Verse 1
Well every friday evening, when Jake McClusky’d finished eating,
he’d excuse himself and hurry off to his weekly lodgehall meeting.
Till Ethel Mae his wife found out what no one could dispute;
That that lodgehall was no lodge at all, but a house of ill repute.
Now I don’t think I've ever seen a woman quite that mad before.
She marched right down to that evil place and started kicking in the door.
She yelled, “I know you’re in there, Jake McClusky, you low down philanderin’ liar.”
And then she soaked her down with kerosene, and set the whole dang place on fire.
Well the crowed had gathered up outside but no one moved or spoke.
Till a trembling voice from deep inside said, *cough* *cough* “I smell smoke.”
Then that ole house started shaking, folks began to scream and shout.
Then the door flew off its hinges and, Lord, folks start spewin’ out.
Chorus
Oh the flames (oh the flames), of retribution.
Could be seen (could be seen), from miles around.
Yea there never was so much confusion in a lil’ Georgia town,
As the day that Ethel Mae McClusky burned the lodgehall down.
Verse 2
First judge Oliver Wendell Justice came out runnin’ for his life,
But he turned and ran back in the flames when he caught sight of his wife.
And self ordained Elijah Bane, and evangelist of sorts,
Claimed he’s down there savin’ souls in his pinstripe jockey shorts.
Then out came the mayor, and a banker we all knew.
The police chief, and the sheriff, and a deputy or two.
And when they asked the sheriff what he was doin’ in that den of degradation
He said, “Well me and the boys just carrying out a little undercover investigation.”
And then the ladies of the evening clad in just their lingerie,
Were crying, “We’ve lost everything, how’ll we live, where’ll we stay?”
And then a lawyer said, “I’ll help you file for welfare so you can eat,
And you can all stay out at my place till you can get back off your feet.”
Chorus
Oh the flames (oh the flames), of retribution.
Could be seen (could be seen), from miles around.
Yea there never was so much confusion in a lil’ Georgia town,
As the day that Ethel Mae McClusky burned the lodgehall down.
Verse 3
Now where ole Jake McClusky is today, is anybody’s guess.
He came smokin’ out that back door, in a state of complete undress.
Ran streaking off into the night and no one’s seen him since.
But I’ll always recall how he mooned us all as he cleared the backyard fence.
Chorus x2
Oh the flames (oh the flames), of retribution.
Could be seen (could be seen), from miles around.
Yea there never was so much confusion in a lil’ Georgia town,
As the day that Ethel Mae McClusky burned the lodgehall down.
Ron Moon
on The Booger Man
I have copied the lyrics from the original recording if you want them.