This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

The Michael Berry Show.

Our guest, you know, these are those moments in radio that you live for.

You know, we've had some pretty neat people on here, presidents included.

But when you grew up looking at a 45 LP and your little record player, and the fellow that was on there, that was touring the world at the time,

born in 1939, and here you are 35 years after you had his first LP.

He's over 70 years old, and he's still making music that is on the Bill O'Reilly show last week and he's on talk shows

across the country. It's pretty neat stuff. Ray Stevens, thanks for being our guest.

Well, it's just great to be here. Thank you for having me, Mike. Hello. Yes, hello, yes.

Yeah. I have a crowd full of people who came into the studio because they all wanted to hear Ray Stevens. Our chief engineer, Bob Stroop, who's from wherever the Mississippi Squirrel Revival was, he's from that town. Paskagula, all right. Pascagoula, yes. And so he had to come in here, and he doesn't get excited about very much. But Ray Stevens being on the radio, man, that's exciting stuff. Oh, my goodness. Well, listen, I just want to start out by saying,

happy birthday. I heard it was your birthday today. Is that right? It is indeed. If Ray Stevens

knows it's my birthday, then I have arrived. Well, hey, everything is beautiful in my world.

Well, happy birthday. Yes, sir. Let's talk about your career,

at least these days, and then we'll kind of go back and reminisce about some of the wonderful

things you've done over the years. You have decided recently to enter yourself into the political

process, your most recent song that was released last week,

Mr. President, Mr. President. First of all, why do that? And then what do you want to accomplish

with this? Well, first of all, let me say I'm scared to death of what's going on in the country

today. And we're going to lose this country if we don't get the electorate out there informed.

And one of the best ways, I'm not a politician, as everybody knows,

but one of the best ways I think to inform some people is with a laugh.

And if I can write and record a song that can make people laugh about a situation and at the same time remind them what the situation is, then I think that may be a good thing to do.

...