Two-time Grammy winner Ray Stevens, whose music spans pop, country, rock and comedy in hits ranging from “Everything Is Beautiful” to “The Streak,” will perform Saturday at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, 1311 Music Hall Road, in Hiawassee, Ga. Tickets are $30 and $40, plus a $2 handling fee. To order, call 706-896-4191 or visit www.GeorgiaMountainFairgrounds.com.
FAST FACTS ABOUT RAY STEVENS
* Has sold more than 25 million records and 4 million videos during his 50-year career.
* An 11-time nominee, he won Grammys for “Everything Is Beautiful” (Male Vocalist of the Year, 1970) and “Misty” (Best Arrangement, 1975).
* Born Jan. 24, 1939, in Clarkdale, Ga., a cotton-mill town 20 miles north of Atlanta. His real name is Harold Ray Ragsdale.
* Realized at age 6, while taking piano lessons, that music would be his life.
* At age 17, while still in high school, he made his first trip to Nashville to record his first track, “Silver Bracelet.”
* Studied classical piano and music theory at Georgia State University. He left in his junior year to move to Nashville permanently.
* Recorded “Ahab the Arab,” his first Top 5 pop hit, in 1962.
* After releasing “Harry the Hairy Ape” and “Santa Claus Is Watching You,” turned his attention to producing other artists, including newcomer Dolly Parton.
* Between 1979 and 1984, he had hits with “Shriners Convention,” “The Mississippi Squirrel Revival” and “It’s Me Again, Margaret.”
* In 1991 he opened the 2,000-seat Ray Stevens Theatre in Branson, Mo. For three seasons, he performed twice a day, six days a week for more than 1.6 million fans.
* His “Comedy Video Classics” release in 1992 sold more than 2 million copies and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Music Video chart. He followed with “Ray Stevens Live,” a video from the Branson show, in 1995.
Source: www.raystevens.com