What Is Ray Stevens' Net Worth?
Ray Stevens is an American country and pop singer and songwriter, comedian, and producer who has a net worth of $12 million. The winner of two Grammys, Ray Stevens is best known for singles such as "Misty," "Everything Is Beautiful," "Gitarzan," and "The Streak." Ray has released more than 50 studio albums, including "This Is Ray Stevens" (1963), "Turn Your Radio On" (1972), "Just for the Record" (1976), "Shriner's Convention" (1980), "He Thinks He's Ray Stevens" (1984), "I Have Returned" (1985), "#1 With a Bullet" (1991), "Osama-Yo' Mama: The Album" (2002), "We the People" (2010), "Here We Go Again!" (2015), and "Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore" (2021). His single "Everything Is Beautiful" reached #1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, and "The Streak" reached #1 in the US, the U.K., and Canada. Stevens executive produced the 1993 special "Ray Stevens Live!" and the 2017 television series "Ray Stevens' CabaRay Nashville," and he published the book "Ray Stevens' Nashville" in 2014. Ray has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Christian Music Hall of Fame, and Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Early Life
Ray Stevens was born Harold Ray Ragsdale on January 24, 1939, in Clarkdale, Georgia. He is the son of Frances Stephens Ragsdale and Willis Harold Ragsdale, who passed away in 1997 and 2001, respectively. Ray's younger brother, John (who died in 2020), was a writer and actor. As a teenager, Stevens formed a rhythm and blues band called The Barons. After graduation, he majored in music at Georgia State University.
Career
Ray signed with Capitol Records' Prep Records division when he was 18 years old and soon released the single "Silver Bracelet" with the B-side "Rang Tang Ding Dong." In 1961, he signed with Mercury Records, then he released the albums "1,837 Seconds of Humor" (1962), "This Is Ray Stevens" (1963), "Even Stevens" (1968), "Gitarzan" (1969), and "Have a Little Talk with Myself" (1969). "Gitarzan" reached #57 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, and "1,837 Seconds of Humor" peaked at #135. In the '70s, Stevens began working as a studio musician and producer in Nashville, and he recorded music for Warner Brothers and Barnaby Records. His 1970 album "Everything Is Beautiful" reached #28 on the Canadian Albums Chart and #35 on the "Billboard" Top LPs chart, and the title track earned him a Grammy and topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, "Billboard" Easy Listening chart, Canadian Singles Chart, and Australian Singles Chart. The 1972 album "Turn Your Radio On" reached #14 on the "Billboard" Top Country Albums chart, and the singles "A Mama and a Papa" and "All My Trials" were top 10 hits on the "Billboard" Adult Contemporary chart. "Boogity Boogity" (1974) and "Misty" (1975) reached the top 10 on the Top Country Albums chart, and "The Streak" from "Boogity Boogity" reached #1 on the Canadian "RPM" Top Singles, Country Tracks, and Adult Contemporary Tracks charts as well as the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, UK Singles Chart, New Zealand Singles Chart, and "Cash Box" Top 100 chart. The title track from "Misty" reached the top 10 on several charts.
In the '80s, Stevens released 10 studio albums, including "Shriner's Convention" (1980), "He Thinks He's Ray Stevens" (1984), and "I Have Returned" (1985). Those three albums cracked the top 10 on the Top Country Albums chart, with "I Have Returned" reaching #1. The single "Shriner's Convention" reached #1 on the "Billboard" Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, #2 on the Canadian "RPM" Country Tracks charts, and #7 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles chart. In the '90s, Ray released the albums "Lend Me Your Ears" (1990), "#1 With a Bullet" (1991), "Classic Ray Stevens" (1993), "Hum It" (1997), and "Ray Stevens Christmas: Through a Different Window" (1997), and "#1 With a Bullet" reached #14 on the "Billboard" Top Comedy Albums chart. Next, he released "Ear Candy" (2000), "Osama-Yo' Mama: The Album" (2002), "New Orleans Moon" (2007), "Hurricane" (2008), "Ray Stevens Sings Sinatra…Say What??" (2008), "One for the Road" (2009), and "Christmas" (2009), and "Osama-Yo' Mama: The Album" reached #29 on the Top Country Albums chart. His 2010 album "We the People" reached #4 on the Top Comedy Albums chart and #58 on the Top Country Albums chart, and 2015's "Here We Go Again!" also peaked at #4 on the Top Comedy Albums chart. In 2021, Ray released five albums: "Great Country Ballads," "Melancholy Fescue (High Class Bluegrass)," "Slow Dance," "Nouveau Retro (What's Old Is New Again)," and "Ain't Nothin' Funny Anymore."
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Personal Life
Ray married Penny Jackson Ragsdale in 1961, and they remained together until her death from cancer in December 2021. The couple welcomed daughters Timi and Suzi together.
Awards and Nominations
Stevens has earned 11 Grammy nominations, winning Best Contemporary Male Vocalist for "Everything Is Beautiful" in 1971 and Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for "Misty" in 1976. His other nominations were for Best Contemporary Male Vocalist for "Gitarzan" (1970), Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Contemporary Song for "Everything Is Beautiful" (1971), Best Inspirational Performance for "Love Lifted Me" (1971), Best Country Vocal Performance – Male for "Misty" (1976), and Best Comedy Recording for "I Need Your Help, Barry Manilow" (1980) and "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex?" (1988). Ray received CMA Award nominations for Song of the Year and Single of the Year for "The Streak" in 1974, and in 2019, he earned a Midsouth Emmy Award nomination for Entertainment for "Ray Stevens Special." He received a Star Guitar on the Music City Walk of Fame in 2018, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2019.
Nashville Mansion
In 2016, Ray paid $2.85 million for a 9,700 square foot mansion set on six acres in Nashville. In August 2023, he put the five-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom mansion on the market for $9 million, then dropped the asking price to $8.2 million a few weeks later. Here is a video tour of the estate:
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