Enlightened Free Thinking Nubian Kings And Queens

Samuel George Davis Jr. was born on December 8, 1925 in Harlem, New York. His parents, Sammy Davis Sr., an African American, and Elvera Sanchez, a Cuban American, were both vaudeville dancers.  They separated when young Davis was three years old and his father took him on tour with a dance troupe led by Will Mastin. Davis joined the act at a young age and they became known as the Will Mastin Trio. It was with this trio that Davis began a lucrative career as a dancer, singer, comedian, actor, and a multi-instrumentalist. During World War II Davis joined the army, he joined an integrated entertainment Special Services unit, and found that while performing the crowd often forgot the color of the man on stage. After his discharge from the army Davis rejoined the Will Mastin Trio and soon became known in Las Vegas as the kid in the middle.  On November 19, 1954, with the act in Las Vegas finally getting off the ground, he was involved in a serious car accident on a trip from L...

Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham was an African American entertainer. Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor. His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be "Sweet Poppa Pigmeat". Dewey Pigmeat Markham was born April 18, 1904 in Durham, North Carolina. His family was the most prominent on their street, which was later officially renamed Markham Street. Running away from home in 1918, Markham began his career in traveling music and burlesque shows. He took up with a white showman he ambiguously referred to over the years as "Mr. Booker" owner of a "gilly carnival."  For a time he was a member of Bessie Smith's Traveling Revue in the 1920s and later appeared on burlesque bills with such comedy legends as Milton Berle, Red Buttons, and Eddie Cantor. He claims to have originated the Truckin' dance which became nationally popular at the start of the 1930s. Markham performed ...

Richard Pryor was an American comedian, actor, film director,  social critic , satirist, writer, and  MC . Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities and profanity, as well as  racial epithets . He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and story telling style. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time:  Jerry Seinfeld  called Pryor "The  Picasso  of our profession", and  Bob Newhart  has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years". This legacy can be attributed, in part, to the unusual degree of intimacy Pryor brought to bear on his comedy. As  Bill Cosby  reportedly once said, "Richard Pryor drew the line between comedy and tragedy as thin as one could possibly paint it." Pryor's body of work includes the concert movies and recordings:...

Rudolph Frank Moore , known as  Rudy Ray Moore , was an American comedian, musician, singer, film actor, and film producer.  He was perhaps best known as  Dolemite  (the name derived from the mineral  dolomite ), the uniquely articulate  pimp  from the 1975 film  Dolemite , and its sequels,  The Human Tornado  and  The Return of Dolemite .  The persona was developed during his earlier comedy records,  for which Moore has been called "the Godfather of Rap". Moore was born and raised in  Fort Smith, Arkansas , and eventually moved to  Cleveland, Ohio , and then  Milwaukee, Wisconsin . In Milwaukee, he preached in churches as well as worked as a  nightclub  dancer. He returned to Cleveland, working in clubs as a singer, dancer, and comedian, often appearing in character as  Prince DuMarr . He joined the  US Army  and served in an entertainment unit in Germany, where he w...

Richard Claxton  " Dick "  Gregory  (born October 12, 1932) is an American comedian,  civil rights  activist, social critic, conspiracy theorist, writer 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 hi...