 |
GREENSBORO -- Comedian James Gregory is performing his standup routine until he fulfills another dream - winning the lottery.
"I'm a part-time lottery player," Gregory said in a telephone interview from his home in Atlanta, Ga." I try to look at it in the common sense manner, though. I'll keep doing this until I hit it right."
Comedian James Gregory will perform Jan. 11 at War Memorial Auditorium. It's a favorite venue for the Georgian.
His thick Southern drawl began to vibrate from his own deep chuckles. Gregory will be the first to admit that he can't be serious for one minute - maybe that's why he was named 'funniest man in America."
The nickname, for those of you who don't know, was given to Gregory during journalist B.J. Cooley's review of his show in the 1980s in the Huntsville Times in Huntsville, AL, and has stuck. The now retired journalist is a regular at Gregory's holiday party.
"I tell them that this is the man who gave me that great nickname," Gregory added.
Gregory is a frequent visitor to states north of Atlanta, including the Carolinas. He will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at the War Memorial Auditorium with the comedy duo, Williams & Ree.
"Greensboro has always been good to me," Gregory said of former performances at the Carolina Theatre and other Greensboro venues. "I'm looking forward to coming back."
This will be his first show with Williams & Ree, the duo billed as "The Indian White Guy." Williams & Ree have appeared on The Nashville Network and shared the stage with Garth Brooks, The Oak Ridge Boys and Randy Travis. Gregory said they're phenomenal to watch.
"For those who don't go to a lot of comedy shows, they won't have to worry about bad language or anything from us," Gregory said. "We have something for those who are 13 or 83"
One reason Gregory thinks his act has remained so popular since the 1980s is that it is based on real life -- only the names of characters are changed.
"I'll have people come to me after a show and say, 'Boy you must've known my aunt or my grandparents because your routine is just the way they were,' " he said.
His "covered dish" skit about foods and their connection to funerals and other events has always been a hit with southern audiences. But Gregory was pleasantly surprised when folks everywhere responded to it, too.
His brand of comedy, he said, is laid-back and down-to-earth, unlike too many harsh, cynical comics.
Surprisingly enough, "the funniest man in America" never planned on being a comedian. He was a salesman in the "real world" until he first stepped onto the stage at a comedy club The Punch Line in Atlanta. That was Feb. 17-18, 1982.
"My friends thought I was funny, so I thought. 'Why not'" he said, "Then I discovered that people laugh at you because you're bombing so bad. No one is magically funny -- you have to work at it."
Despite his notoriety, Gregory said he's still a country boy, like his parents, who were "real country folks." His father has since died, but his mother lives less than 20 minutes away. He sees her often.
When he and his brother take her to Cracker Barrel, her favorite restaurant, fans often approach the comedian and ask for his autograph, he said. And they wind up meeting the whole family.
Although she's proud of his accomplishments, Gregory said his mother takes a minute to acknowledge his brother, Melvin.
"She'll say, 'This is my other son, Melvin,"' he said. "'He's the best plumber in the country."' |
|
More News
