Happy Birthday, Dick Gregory! Richard Claxton Dick Gregory (born October 12, 1932) is an American comedian, social activist, social critic, writer, conspiracy theorist, and entrepreneur. Gregory is an influential American comedian who has used his performance skills to convey to both white and black audiences his political message on civil rights. His social satire helped change the way white Americans perceived black American comedians since he first performed in public. As a poor student who excelled at running, Gregory was aided by teachers at Sumner High School, among them Warren St. James. Gregory earned a track scholarship to Southern Illinois University Carbondale. There he set school records as a half-miler and miler. His college career was interrupted for two years in 1954 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. The army was where he got his start in comedy, entering and winning several Army talent shows at the urging of his commanding officer, who had taken notice of Gregorys penchant for joking. In 1956, Gregory briefly returned to SIU after his discharge, but dropped out because he felt that the university didnt want me to study, they wanted me to run. In the hopes of performing comedy professionally, Gregory moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he became part of a new generation of black comedians that included Nipsey Russell, Bill Cosby, and Godfrey Cambridge, all of whom broke with the minstrel tradition, which presented stereotypical black characters. Gregory drew on current events, especially racial issues, for much of his material: Segregation is not all bad. Have you ever heard of a collision where the people in the back of the bus got hurt?. Gregory began his career as a comedian while serving in the military in the mid 1950s. He served in the army for a year and a half at Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Lee in Virginia and Ft. Smith in Arkansas. He was drafted in 1954 while attending Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. After being discharged in 1956 he returned to the university but did not receive a degree. With a desire to perform comedy professionally, he moved to Chicago. In the beginning of his career, Gregory experienced his share of failure and success. In 1958, Gregory tried his hand in opening a nightclub called the Apex Club in Illinois. The club failed, landing Gregory in financial hardship. However, in 1959, Gregory landed a job as master of ceremonies at the Roberts Show Club. Gregory performed as a comedian in small, primarily black-patronized nightclubs while working for the United States Postal Service during the daytime. Dick Gregory was one of the first black comedians to gain widespread acclaim performing for white audiences. When Dick Gregory was starting out, it was nearly unheard of for black comics to perform in white night clubs. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Gregory describes the past role of black comics as limited. Blacks could sing and dance in the white night clubs but werent allowed to stand flat-footed and talk to white folks, which is what a comic does. In 1961, while working at the Black-owned Roberts Show Bar in Chicago, he was spotted by Hugh Hefner performing the following material before a largely white audience: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I understand there are a good many Southerners in the room tonight. I know the South very well. I spent twenty years there one night. Last time I was down South I walked into this restaurant and this white waitress came up to me and said, We dont serve colored people here. I said, Thats all right. I dont eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken. Then these three white boys came up to me and said, Boy, were giving you fair warning. Anything you do to that chicken, were gonna do to you. So I put down my knife and fork, I picked up that chicken and I kissed it. Then I said, Line up, boys! Gregory attributes the launch of his career to Hugh Hefner, who watched him perform at Herman Roberts Show Bar. Based on that performance, Hefner hired Gregory to work at the Chicago Playboy Club as a replacement for comedian Professor Irwin Corey. Gregorys first TV appearance was on the late night The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar. He soon began appearing nationally and on television. Early in Dick Gregorys career, he was offered a gig on The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar. That particular show was known for helping to propel entertainers to the next level of their careers. At the time, black comics were allowed to perform on the show but were not allowed to stay after their performances to sit on the famous couch and talk with the host. Dick Gregory declined the invitation to perform on the show several times until finally Jack Paar called him to find out why he refused to perform on the show. Eventually, in order to have Gregory perform, the producers agreed to allow him to stay after his performance and talk with the host on air. This was a first in the shows history. Dick Gregorys interview on The Tonight Show spurred conversations across America. His interview provided an opportunity for viewers to see an African American in a positive and humane light. Gregory is number 82 on Comedy Centrals list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of all time and has his own star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Gregory is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He was a former co-host with radio personality Cathy Hughes, and is still a frequent morning guest, on WOL 1450 AM talk radios The Power, the flagship station of Hughes Radio One. He also appears regularly on the nationally syndicated Imus in the Morning program. Gregory appears as Mr. Sun on the television show Wonder Showzen (the third episode, entitled Ocean, aired in 2005). As Chauncey, a puppet character, imbibes a hallucinogenic substance, Mr. Sun warns, Dont get hooked on imagination, Chauncey. It can lead to terrible, horrible things. Gregory also provides guest commentary on the Wonder Showzen Season One DVD. Large segments of his commentary were intentionally bleeped out, including the names of several dairy companies, as he made potentially slanderous remarks concerning ill effects that the consumption of cow milk has on human beings. Gregory attended and spoke at the funeral of James Brown on December 30, 2006, in Augusta, Georgia. Gregory is an occasional guest on the Mark Thompsons Make It Plain Sirius Channel 146 Radio Show from 3pm to 6pm PST. Gregory appeared on The Alex Jones Show on September 14, 2010, March 19, 2012, and April 1, 2014. Gregory gave the keynote Address for Black History Month at Bryn Mawr College on February 28, 2013. His take-away message to the students was to never accept injustice. Once I accept injustice; I become injustice. For example, paper mills give off a terrible stench. But the people who work there, dont smell it. Remember, Dr. King was assassinated when he went to work for garbage collectors. To help them as workers to enforce their rights. They couldnt smell the stench of the garbage all around them anymore. They were used to it. They would eat their lunch out of a brown bag sitting on the garbage truck. One day, a worker was sitting inside the back of the truck on top of the garbage, and got crushed to death because no one knew he was there. In 2013, Dick Gregory continues to be a ringing voice of the black power movement. Recently, he was featured in a Fantagraphics book by Pat Thomas entitled Listen, Whitey: The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965–1975, which uses the political recordings of the Civil Rights era to highlight sociopolitical meanings throughout the movement. Comedian Dick Gregory is known for comedic performances that not only made people laugh, but mocked the establishment. According to Thomas, Dick Gregory’s monologues reflect a time when entertainment needed to be political to be relevant, which is why he included his standup in the collection. Dick Gregory is featured along with the likes of Huey Newton, Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., Langston Hughes and Bill Cosby. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Gregory
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 12:18:03 +0000