Article Written by : The Jewelry Review
You know the saying that the best medicine is laughter right? A lot of people find comfort in humor when they are facing adversity. Comedians play a huge role in the smiles that appeared on the faces of millions in the past. Here are some of the best comedians of African American origin.
Moms Mabley
Lived between 1894 and 1975 and she’s one of those people that exemplify exactly what it means to use humor to get over misfortune. Plenty of the material that she used in her career was based on her own experiences from her tough childhood. Jackie Mabley was her stage name, while her real name is Loretta Mary Aiken. She was called Moms because she was like a mother to a lot of the comedians from the circuit. One of the best comedians from her time, at the top of her career was paid $10,000 for each week of work at the Apollo Theater from Harlem. In total, she took part in over 20 comedy routines and she was part of movies, TV and clubs.
Redd Foxx
Born in 1922, the real name of Redd Foxx was John Elroy Sanford. The Chicago Red nickname came from his complexion and hair, which were red. The Foxx part of his nickname came from Jimmie Foxx, which was a baseball star. His popularity jump came when he appeared in the “Sanford and Son” TV series. A lot of people think of him as a pioneer. He died in 1991.
Dick Gregory
He was born in 1932 and he is a social activist, comedian, entrepreneur and writer. He is a comedian that has a long history of using satire to get across his civil rights messages. A lot of black and white people enjoy his satirical, ironic and detached type of humor.
