At last Ray Stevens joins the Country Music Hall of Fame

Novelty-country-pop-R&B singer Ray Stevens is finally a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Primary songwriting partner Buddy Kalb and dedicated collector Jerry McDaniel break down why the “The Streak” originator and “Weird Al” Yankovic influence had to wait 62 years after his debut single 45 reached AM radio. Here a glum Stevens is juxtaposed by Thalia, otherwise known as the Greek mythology comedy mask, for the strikingly artistic cover of “Don’t Laugh Now,” the 19th studio album by the clever songwriter dropped on April 13, 1982, via RCA Victor. “Don’t Laugh Now” inexplicably failed to see any chart action on Billboard. Image Credit: Records Merchant / Sony Music Entertainment

When will Ray Stevens become part of the Country Music Hall of Fame? That provocative question perpetually mystified fans and colleagues of the native South Georgia singer until a surprise March 2019 press conference where WSM deejay Bill Cody signaled Stevens’ inclusion as part of the Veterans Era category. According to revised Hall of Fame rules in 2010, Stevens was first eligible for induction in 2002, 45 years after he first achieved national prominence on Bill Lowery’s Atlanta-based Prep label. Also elected were Brooks & Dunn in the Modern Era and former RCA Victor President Jerry Bradley in the Non Performer designation.

In a 63-year career that shows no signs of garnering mildew, the creatively restless songwriter-pianist has accumulated scores of crossover hits —comedy, country, pop, adult contemporary, R&B, gospel — and produced, arranged, or played on Nashville sessions for Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and Waylon Jennings. “Ahab the Arab,” “Gitarzan,” “The Streak,” “Shriner’s Convention,” and “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” poke fun at tedious convention, yet the shrewd entrepreneur refused to be pigeon-holed as a novelty artist, instead routinely questioning issues of a more serious nature as evidenced by “Mr. Businessman” and “Everything Is Beautiful.”