Comedian James Gregory to tape show at Renaissance Center
Release Date: 1/9/2007. Expired: 3/2/2007
Labeled by critics as “the funniest man in America” and “the most famous comedian America has never heard,” James Gregory entertains more than 10 million people annually through live performances, radio and television appearances with his laid-back, down-home storytelling style. He is heard regularly on syndicated radio programs across the country and has packed in crowds at sold-out shows in comedy venues for over 20 years.
Gregory brings his front-porch humor, often based on his own life experiences, to The Renaissance Center in Dickson for a March 2 performance to be videotaped for broadcast and release on DVD. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $25 with a limited number of VIP tickets at $35 that include premium seating and a copy of Gregory’s The Legend Continues CD. Tickets go on sale Jan. 5.
For more than 20 years, the unforgettable caricature of Gregory – created by award-winning political cartoonist Bruce Plante of the Chattanooga Times Free Press – has stood grinning: his blue shirt untucked, his arms outstretched, a care-free welcome to a down-home, hilarious storytelling experience.
Gregory tours 48 weeks a year, entertaining in sold-out theatres, fairs, comedy clubs and performing for some of the country’s largest corporations and organizations, including Coca-Cola, Kimberly Clark, Hewlett Packard and the American Red Cross. His grass-roots following of tens of millions of loyal fans can hear him weekly on radio shows like Rick and Bubba (syndicated to 24 markets), The Big Show with John Boy and Billy (111 markets, including The Rock 105.9 in Nashville), Steve and DC (27 markets) and The Bob and Tom Show (125 markets).
Born into a poor family in Lithonia, Ga., at the age of 11 Gregory worked 37 hours a week at a local grocery store to help support his family.
“There was never a backup for me,” Gregory says. “I knew that everything I wanted in life I’d have to pay for myself. Anything you want costs something. I had to earn it on my own.”
Gregory began working as a salesman, but his real talent began to show through as a storyteller and his destiny took a turn during an impromptu performance at a comedy club.
“It was an accident that I ended up in comedy at all,” he says. “I never had the desire, or else I would have started earlier. I was 35 years old when I got my feet wet.”
In 1982, his friends convinced Gregory to participate in an open mic night at the Punchline, an Atlanta comedy club. He was an instant hit.
More than 24 years later, Gregory’s front-porch style has made him one of the most in-demand comedians in the country, with his own CDs, videos and books and numerous television appearances, including Entertainment Tonight, Comedy Central, Showtime, TNT and over 80 appearances on TNN.
“I don’t do small-town humor,” Gregory replies to those who try to pigeonhole his appeal. His is a front porch humor: he tells the stories we all know, wherever we’re from. He makes fun of crazy family members and covered dishes at funerals. Ignoring the pressure to be politically correct, Gregory zings everyone from health fanatics to animal rights activists with his trademark observations of the routine and absurd based on the values he grew up with.
Eschewing the profanity and vulgarity of many modern comics, listening to Gregory’s carefully crafted stories is similar to hearing every family’s crazy uncle telling tales on relatives at a family reunion.
“I have lived long enough to know people, know life,” Gregory says. “My comedy is based on my experience. I want to make the whole country laugh.”
And based on what reviews across the country say, Gregory is succeeding.
“James Gregory is in a class all by himself… his humor transcends all barriers: social, economical, racial or whatever,” says Entertainment Magazine.
“(Gregory) doesn’t just crack off one-liners, he tells funny stories. But he also tells stories funny, often taking minutes to get to the punch line. The buildup is often as hilarious as the payoff,” writes Atlanta Magazine.
“To call this man a Southern comedian would be an insult to his genius… he can get more laughs from the set-up than most can get from a punch line,” says The Daily Texan.
To learn more about comedian James Gregory, visit his website at www.funniestman.com.
Gregory’s performance at The Renaissance Center will be videotaped by the center’s award-winning Multimedia Department, which has produced performance videos including comedian Fred Travelena and music superstars like Pam Tillis, Crystal Gayle, B.J. Thomas, Three Dog Night, Eddie Money, John Kay of Steppenwolf, Lynn Anderson and others.
For more information on Gregory’s performance at The Renaissance Center, call (615) 740-5600 or visit the center’s website at www.rcenter.org. To purchase tickets beginning Jan. 5, call (615) 740-5570.
The Renaissance Center is a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.
Visit the Events - Concerts and Recitals page for more about musical performances.