Can you believe Ray Stevens is still performing and making records? He's 82 and he's still at it. Back when I put "Gitarzan" on my mixtape, he often had hits in the mainstream Top 20 or at least the Top 50. At some point, he narrowed in on a country-western audience and did just fine. He's had a couple of his own theaters over the years and starred in a couple of syndicated TV shows that I don't think ever made it to TV here in Los Angeles.
I liked a number of his records, mainly for the sheer silliness of them. He also never seemed to care what other artists were recording or where the music business was going. He just put out Ray Stevens record after Ray Stevens record. Here's a video (and re-recording) he made of "Gitarzan," long after it was on the charts — which it was in 1969. It adheres to the old show business rule that you can't go wrong with a bunch of guys in gorilla suits…
And while we're on the subject of Mr. Stevens, here's a song he recorded that came out too late to be on my mixtape. It's called "I Need Your Help, Barry Manilow." I remember when I first heard it, I thought, "That's great but I'll bet Stevens didn't write it." I was right. It was written by Dale Gonyea, who I recall popping up in Los Angeles showrooms and in the credits for TV shows where he wrote "Special Musical Material." Very funny guy…