“Misty” — Ray Stevens

Photo by Dave on Unsplash

Ray Stevens’ version of “Misty” is a particularly joyful expression of new-found love.

It was also a very unlikely UK Number Two chart hit back in 1975. It’s a little different now, but country music was deeply un-cool in the UK back in the mid-1970s. The sort of thing your grandparents might listen to, but even then, only if they were getting to the stage of life where you indulged them rather than criticised them.

From the first twang of the banjo, you knew where you were headed with Ray Stevens’ version of “Misty”…and just to make sure in case you didn’t get the message the first time, a couple of seconds later when the country fiddle and pedal steel guitar join in too there was absolutely no doubt.

Yet the warmth and affection in Ray Stevens’ performance won over a country which would normally turn its collective back on bluegrass-infused songs, and certainly wouldn’t normally consider it likely material for the very upper reaches of the pop charts.

It was also an odd follow-up single for Ray Stevens in the UK. The previous year, he’d reached the Number One slot in the UK singles chart with his comedy record “The Streak”.

So he was a well-known name, even to younger radio listeners and record buyers. But still, I don’t think many would have predicted that Ray Stevens’ next assault on the pop charts would be a country music take on the sort of jazz classic our mums listened to on night-time radio.

Mind you, this wasn’t the first time Ray Stevens’ took his career in what you might describe as an unexpected direction.

From comedy records like “Gitarzan” and “Bridget The Midget” through to the more socially conscious “Mr Businessman” and the inspirational, Grammy-winning “Everything Is Beautiful”, there’s probably not many artists with a broader sweep of musical genres in their kit bag than Ray Stevens.

The thread that runs through them all, though, is wonderful musicianship.

As a long-time Nashville studio musician, producer and arranger, Ray Stevens played with the very best and was considered one of the very best himself.

So it seems only fitting that “Misty” came out of a session where Ray Stevens and his band were just messing around in a recording…