Biography
Harold Ray Ragsdale, 24 January 1939, Clarksdale, Georgia, USA. A prolific country pop writer and performer, Stevens’ novelty hits of the 70s and 80s illustrate the history of the fads and crazes of the era. He became a disc jockey on a local station at 15 and the following year recorded ‘Five More Steps’ on the Prep label. Stevens’ first nonsense song, ‘Chickie Chickie Wah Wah’, was written in 1958 but it was not until 1961, with Mercury Records that he had a Top 40 hit with the tongue-twisting ‘Jeremiah Peabody’s Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green And Purple Pills’. This was followed by ‘Ahab The Arab’ (1962) and ‘Harry The Hairy Ape’ (1963). Stevens also had a penchant for social comment which emerged in songs such as ‘Mr Businessman’ (1968), ‘America Communicate With Me’ and the first recording of Kris Kristofferson’s ‘Sunday Morning...
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