Editing Ray Stevens (section)

===1970s===
In the 1970s, Stevens became a producer and studio musician in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]. He recorded songs for [[Barnaby Records]] and [[Warner Bros.]] during 1970–1979. Stevens' biggest hit in the U.S. was his gospel-inflected single "[[Everything Is Beautiful]]" (1970). It won a [[Grammy Award]], was the theme song for his summer 1970 TV show, a number-one hit on both the pop and adult contemporary charts, and marked his first time in the top 40 on the country charts, peaking at number 39. The single sold over one million copies and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book| first=Joseph| last=Murrells| year=1978| title=The Book of Golden Discs| edition=2nd| publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location=London| page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/286 286]| isbn=978-0-2142-0512-5| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/286}}</ref>

Stevens had a transatlantic chart-topping hit in 1974 with "[[The Streak (song)|The Streak]]", a novelty song about [[streaking]] that reached number one on the American and British singles charts.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bronson |first1=Fred |title=The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits |date=2003 |publisher=Billboard Books |isbn=978-0-8230-7677-2 |page=365 |edition=updated and expanded 5th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&q=%22ray+stevens%22+%22the+streak%22&pg=PT374 |accessdate=2018-07-08}}</ref><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book| first=David| last=Roberts| year=2006| title=[[British Hit Singles & Albums]]| edition=19th| publisher=Guinness World Records Limited| location=London| isbn=978-1-9049-9410-7| page=301}}</ref>

Through the late 1970s and early 1980s, with some exceptions (such as "[[Shriner's Convention (song)|Shriner's Convention]]" in 1981), Stevens focused mostly on serious material, as he felt that the novelty song was becoming less popular in the era.<ref name=nutsoversquirrel>{{cite magazine| date=December 8, 1984| title=Stevens Nuts over 'Squirrel'| magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| pages=39, 42| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zSQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22mississippi+squirrel+revival%22&pg=RA1-PA39}}</ref> Stevens had an adult contemporary crossover hit in 1979 with "[[I Need Your Help Barry Manilow]]", a cut from Stevens's [[Barry Manilow]] tribute/parody album ''[[The Feeling's Not Right Again]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/adult-contemporary/1979-04-28| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105210838/http://www.billboard.com/charts/adult-contemporary/1979-04-28| url-status=dead| archive-date=November 5, 2016| title=Adult Contemporary Chart| magazine=Billboard}}</ref>