Dick Gregory

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born

October 12, 1932 in St. Louis, The United States

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male

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http://www.dickgregory.com/

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Gregory, Richard Claxton "Dick" , African American comedian and civil rights activist whose social satire changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians since he first performed in public.

Dick Gregory entered the national comedy scene in 1961 when Chicago’s Playboy Club (as a direct request from publisher Hugh Hefner) booked him as a replacement for white comedian, "Professor" Irwin Corey. Until then Gregory had worked mostly at small clubs with predominantly black audiences (he met his wife, Lillian Smith, at one such club). Such clubs paid comedians an average of five dollars per night; thus Gregory also held a day job as a postal employee. His tenure as a replacement for Corey was so successful — at one performance...more Gregory, Richard Claxton "Dick" , African American comedian and civil rights activist whose social satire changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians since he first performed in public.

Dick Gregory entered the national comedy scene in 1961 when Chicago’s Playboy Club (as a direct request from publisher Hugh Hefner) booked him as a replacement for white comedian, "Professor" Irwin Corey. Until then Gregory had worked mostly at small clubs with predominantly black audiences (he met his wife, Lillian Smith, at one such club). Such clubs paid comedians an average of five dollars per night; thus Gregory also held a day job as a postal employee. His tenure as a replacement for Corey was so successful — at one performance he won over an audience that included southern white convention goers — that the Playboy Club offered him a contract extension from several weeks to three years. By 1962 Gregory had become a nationally known headline performer, selling out nightclubs, making numerous national television appearances, and recording popular comedy albums.

It’s important to note that no biography of Gregory would be complete without mentioning that he and his beloved wife, Lil, had ten kids who have become highly respected members of the national community in a variety of fields. They are: Michele, Lynne, Pamela, Paula, Stephanie (aka Xenobia), Gregory, Christian, Miss, Ayanna and Yohance. The Gregory’s had one child who died at birth but they have shared 49 years of historic moments, selfless dedication and tremendous personal love.

Gregory began performing comedy in the mid-1950s while serving in the army.
(See Black sin the Military). Drafted in 1954 while attending Southern Illinois University at Carbondale on a track scholarship, Gregory briefly returned to the university after his discharge in 1956, but left without a degree because he felt that the university "didn't want me to study, they wanted me to run." In the hopes of performing comedy professionally, he moved to Chicago, where he became part of a new generation of black comedians that included Nipsey Russell, Bill Cosby, and Godfrey Cambridge. These comedians broke with the minstrel tradition, which presented stereotypical black characters. Gregory, whose style was detached, ironic, and satirical, came to be called the "Black Mort Sahl" after the popular white social satirist. Friends of Gregory have always referred to Mort Sahl as the "White Dick Gregory." Gregory drew on current events, especially the 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?"

From an early age, Gregory demonstrated a strong sense of social justice. While a student at Sumner High School in St. Louis he led a March protesting Segregated schools. Later, inspired by the work of leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Gregory took part in the Civil Rights Movement and used his celebrity status to draw attention to such issues as segregation and disfranchisement. When local Mississippi governments stopped distributing Federal food surpluses to poor blacks in areas where SNCC was encouraging voter registration, Gregory chartered a plane to bring in several tons of food. He participated in SNCC's voter registration drives and in sit-ins to protest segregation, most notably at a restaurant franchise in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Only later did Gregory disclose that he held stock in the chain.

Gregory’s autobiography, Nigger, was published in 1963 prior to The assassination of President Kennedy, and became the number one best-selling book in America. Over the decades it has sold in excess of seven million copies. His choice for the title was explained in the forward, where Dick Gregory wrote a note to his mother. "Whenever you hear the word ‘Nigger’," he said, "y(less)

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Average rating: 4.21 · 1,097 ratings · 89 reviews · 18 distinct works

	Nigger by Dick Gregory, Robert Lipsyte 4.21 avg rating — 884 ratings — published 1964 — 15 editions	My rating:
	Callus on My Soul by Dick Gregory, Shelia P. Moses 4.16 avg rating — 44 ratings — published 2000 — 3 editions	My rating:
	From the Back of the Bus 3.92 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 1962	My rating:
	No More Lies 4.32 avg rating — 22 ratings — published 1972 — 3 editions	My rating:
	Dick Gregory's Natural Diet for Folks Who Eat: Cookin' with Mother Nature by Dick Gregory, Alvenia M. Fulton (Editor), James R. McGraw (Editor) 4.53 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 1973 — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Shadow That Scares Me 4.33 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 1968	My rating:
	Write Me In! 3.80 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 1968	My rating:
	Dick Gregory's Bible Tales, With Commentary 4.57 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 1974 — 3 editions	My rating:
	Dick Gregory's political primer 3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 1972 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Up From Nigger 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — 2 editions	My rating:

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“One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people.”
― Dick Gregory

6 people liked it

“If they took all the drugs, nicotine, alcohol and caffeine
off the market for six days, they'd have to bring out the
tanks to control you.”
― Dick Gregory

5 people liked it

“The only good thing about the good old days is they're gone.”
― Dick Gregory

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Dick Gregory

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