Country Music People February 2018 | Page 4

cmp FEBRUARY 2018 Volume 49 Number 2 Issue 576 News Walt Trott in Nashville Duncan Warwick in London A CabaRay old chum! Editor Duncan Warwick Contributors David Allan, Janet Aspley, Donnie Ayers, Craig Baguley, Larry Delaney, Don Cusic, Julie Flaskett, Kelly Gregory, Michael Hingston, Tony Ives, Spencer Leigh, John Lomax III, , Douglas McPherson, Stephen O’Hanlon, Roland Purdy, Adrian Peel, Paul Riley, Wayne Smart, Chris Smith, Alison Stokes, Tom Travis, Walt Trott, Jack Watkins Assistant editor / Special projects coordinator Kelly Gregory Photographers Helen Parish, Patricia Presley, Ian Tilbury, Barry Dixon, Billie McAleer Printed by Henry Stone Printers www.henrystoneprinters.co.uk Distributor Seymour International Press Distributors Ltd. 2 East Poultry Avenue London EC1A 9PT Telephone [phone] Fax [phone] Country Music People is published the last Thursday of each month by KICKIN’ CUTS LIMITED 24 Darley Close, Wittering, Peterborough PE8 6EQ, UK Telephone [phone] - 783689 [email protected] www.cmpcountry.com ©2018 Kickin’ Cuts Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher. The Publisher accepts no responsibility for statement of fact or opinion expressed by contributors. The views of the contributors are not necessarily those of Country Music People or its editor. 4 cmp - FEBRUARY 2018 P op-country star Ray Stevens, 79, is at it again, mixing music and mirth for fans here, much as he did a quarter century ago in Branson. The versatile entertainer opened CabaRay, his own nightspot Jan. 18, bringing back Ahab The Arab, Gitarzan, The Shriners Convention, Mississippi Squirrels Revival and his hysterical “Don’t look, Ethel,” it’s The Streak, to mark his return. Nashville Mayor Barry proclaimed Jan. 10 - the day media and VIPs enjoyed an advance peek at the 35,000 square-foot “state of the art” venue - Ray Stevens Day. Singer-songwriter Stevens stated, “I am deeply grateful to the Honourable Megan Barry and the people of Nashville for giving me my very own day. It’s especially meaningful that it’s on the day I’m sharing my CabaRay Showroom with family and friends in the music industry for the first time.” Ray will perform for guests weekly in the supper club (at 5724 River Road), which seats some 700 and offers free parking. Currently on public television, he hosts Ray Stevens’ CabaRay-Nashville, a half hour weekly music and talk show. Ray also co- starred on the big screen in the 2014 comedy “Campin’ Buddies” with Tom Lester. Currently, the CMA-Hall of Fame Museum’s “Sing Me Back Home” series is celebrating the multi-talented Georgia native’s 60-year career, encompassing a #1 mix of musical parodies such as The Streak, with beautiful love songs like Everything Is Beautiful, both of which he wrote. The latter in 1970, and in 1975 his bluegrass- influenced arrangement on Misty, both earned him Grammy Awards. In 1980, Ray was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s Hall of Fame in recognition of such successes. Among his platinum-selling albums are He Thinks He’s Ray Stevens, I Have Returned and Ray Stevens’ Greatest Hits. Besides switching easily from novelty to love songs, Stevens is a multi- instrumentalist, who has sold in excess of 40 million discs. Little wonder “Everything Is Beautiful” for this legendary star.