Ron White

Last updated

Ron White
Ron White01.jpg
White in 2010
Born (1956-12-18) December 18, 1956 (age 67)
Fritch, Texas, U.S.
Medium Stand-up
NationalityAmerican
Years active1978–present
Genres Country comedy, observational comedy, satire, blue comedy
Spouse
Lori Brice
(m. 1981;div. 1993)
Barbara Dobbs
(m. 2004;div. 2008)
(m. 2013;div. 2017)
Children1
Website www.tatersalad.com

Ronald Dee White (born December 18, 1956) [1] is an American stand-up comedian, actor and author, best known as a charter member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Nicknamed "Tater Salad", he is the author of the book I Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't Have the Ability, which appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.

Contents

Biography

White was born in Fritch, Texas on December 18, 1956. [1] [2] He joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 and served on the auxiliary rescue and salvage ship USS Conserver near the end of the Vietnam War era. [3] Before pursuing comedy professionally, White briefly lived in Mexico, where he bought a pottery factory. [4]

From January 2000 through March 2003, White toured with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour – a show that sold out across the United States in over 90 cities and grossed over $15 million. [1] He made seven guest appearances on Blue Collar TV . In 2005, The WB Television Network aired the pilot for The Ron White Show , a variety show that combined a number of celebrity cameos, cartoons, and sketches. He taped several episodes of The Gong Show with Dave Attell as one of the celebrity judges. White has appeared in the TV shows Kath & Kim , Reno 911! , 12 Miles of Bad Road , the films Sex and the City 2 and Horrible Bosses , and a cameo in a Rascal Flatts music video, "Why Wait". [5] He was one of the executive producers of the 2013 documentary Bridegroom . [6]

White is known for drinking Scotch as part of his act, as well as smoking cigars or cigarettes. He stated during his You Can't Fix Stupid show, "Somebody asked what I was drinking. If the company that made the stuff I was drinking was paying me, I'd have it in their bottle and not mine. But it's the kind of scotch that people drink that are going to die penniless. It's good though!" [7] In 2009, Comedy Central released White's stand up DVD Behavioral Problems .

In 2010, Ron White and producer Michael Blakey formed Organica Music Group (OMG), a label that promotes both emerging and established musicians and comedians. OMG indicated that it would release all of White's future DVDs and CDs. [8] In November 2015, White announced that he was running for President of the United States as an independent candidate in 2016. [9] In 2016, White starred as Phil, veteran road manager for the fictional Staton-House Band, in the Showtime series Roadies .

In January 2020 White announced plans to retire from stand-up at the end of the year, with his last show on New Year's Eve 2020, the conclusion of his slated nationwide tour. He said he planned to retire in Texas. However the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted his touring schedule for 15 months. White's return to stand-up began in Florida, one of the only states open at the time, where he worked 25-minute shows. When White returned to touring full-time in September 2021 he planned to continue his final tour and retire in the fall 2022. However White continues to tour with dates extending into 2024.

Personal life

White was married to Lori Brice from 1981 to 1993 and they had one son, Marshall. He was later married to Barbara Dobbs from 2004 to 2008. In 2013, he married singer Margo Rey; as of 2017 the two are no longer together, with White claiming that they were never legally married. On August 6, 2019, a ruling came down in L.A. Superior Court where a judge sided with Rey and declared the couple was in a common-law marriage under Texas law. [10] [11]

White stopped drinking alcohol in early 2021. [12] He credits the consultation of a hypnotherapist and the use of ayahuasca with his abstinence. [12]

Awards and recognition

White received the Armed Forces Foundation's "Patriot Award" in March 2009 for his work in raising money to help wounded soldiers. [13] April 27, 2009, was designated "Ron White Day" in the State of Texas by Texas legislative officials. [14] He also held benefit shows for Hurricane Katrina relief. [15] He was Grammy-nominated for Best Comedy Album in 2007 & 2014.

Comedy releases

Besides the Blue Collar Comedy Tour CDs and films, White has released seven solo projects to date.

Solo works

He has appeared on the following compilation albums:

Discography

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
(sales threshold)
US Comedy US Country US US Heat
Tater Salad a.k.a. Busted in Des Moines
  • Release date: 1990
  • Label: Laughing Hyena
Truckstop Comedy
  • Release date: 1994
  • Label: Laughing Hyena
Drunk in Public 211832
You Can't Fix Stupid 1214
Behavioral Problems 11351
A Little Unprofessional
  • Release date: June 4, 2013
  • Label: Organica Music Group
144

"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Related Research Articles

A blue-collar worker is a working-class person who performs manual labor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Foxworthy</span> American comedian, actor and writer (born 1958)

Jeffrey Marshall Foxworthy is an American comedian, actor, author, radio and television host, and writer. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, with Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and formerly Ron White. Known for his "You might be a redneck" one-liners, Foxworthy has released six major-label comedy albums. His first two albums were each certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. He has written several books based on his redneck jokes, as well as an autobiography entitled No Shirt, No Shoes... No Problem!

Blue Collar TV is an American sketch comedy television series that aired on The WB from July 29, 2004 to July 26, 2006 starring Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy. The show's humor dealt principally with contemporary American society, and especially hillbilly, redneck, and Southern stereotypes. The show was greenlighted on the heels of the success of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which the series' three lead actors toured with in the early to mid-2000s. It was created by Fax Bahr and Adam Small, in addition to J.P. Williams and Jeff Foxworthy. "Blue collar" is an American phrase used to describe manual laborers, as opposed to white collar for office or professional workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry the Cable Guy</span> American stand-up comedian (born 1963)

Daniel Lawrence Whitney, known professionally as Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and former radio personality. He was one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which included Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Engvall</span> American comedian and actor

William Ray Engvall Jr. is an American retired stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Engvall has released a number of stand-up comedy albums through Warner Records and the defunct BNA Records. His commercially successful album is the 1996 debut Here's Your Sign, certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album derives its name from Engvall's signature routine "here's your sign", wherein he offers "signs" to people whom he deems lacking in intellect. He has toured as a comedian both by himself and as a member of Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which included Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Ron White. Engvall's television roles include Delta, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, The Bill Engvall Show, and Lingo.

<i>The Jeff Foxworthy Show</i> American sitcom

The Jeff Foxworthy Show is an American sitcom television series created by Tom Anderson, starring comedian Jeff Foxworthy and based on Foxworthy's stand-up comedy routine. The series originally aired on ABC from September 12, 1995, to May 15, 1996, and then on NBC from September 23, 1996, to May 5, 1997.

The Blue Collar Comedy Tour was an American comedy troupe, featuring Jeff Foxworthy with three of his comedian friends, Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy, who had replaced fellow comedian Craig Hawksley, who performed in the first 26 shows on the tour. The troupe toured together for six years beginning in January 2000 in Omaha, before finishing in 2006 at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. The troupe also created the CMT show Bounty Hunters.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1963.

The Ron White Show is a 2005 TV special that appeared in the WB in 2005. It starred comedian Ron White, was directed by C.B. Harding and written by Donick Cary. It featured two cartoon segments that are now available on White's official website.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Fox (comedian)</span> American comedian, born 1953

John Fox was an American comedian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Dunham</span> American ventriloquist and comedian (born 1962)

Jeffrey Douglas Dunham is an American ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actor who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, The Tonight Show, and Sonny with a Chance. He has seven specials that run on Comedy Central as well as two Netflix specials among others. He also starred in The Jeff Dunham Show, a series that ran in 2009. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and holds the Guinness Book of World Records record for "Most tickets sold for a stand-up comedy tour" for his Spark of Insanity tour.

<i>Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie</i> 2003 American film

Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie is a 2003 American stand-up comedy concert film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It stars comedians Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall and fellow Blue Collar comics Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy. The movie is similar in nature to that of The Original Kings of Comedy. It was followed by two direct-to-video sequels, Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004) and Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road (2006). The film received critical acclaim.

<i>Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again</i> 2004 American film

Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again is a 2004 American comedy film directed by C.B. Harding and starring Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and PJ Walsh. It is a direct-to-video sequel to the film Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie.

Henry Cho is an American stand-up comedian. His work can be heard nationwide several times weekly on SiriusXM Radio's Channel 98, Laugh USA, Sirius Radio's Jeff and Larry's Comedy Roundup Channel 97, and Pandora Radio's PG Comedy Radio Channel. Cho is one of the only Asian-American acts to appear regularly on the Grand Ole Opry and on January 6, 2023, he became the first Asian-American invited to become a member of the Opry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Caparulo</span> American stand-up comedian

John Caparulo is an American stand-up comedian.

<i>Games Rednecks Play</i> Album by Jeff Foxworthy

Games Rednecks Play is an album by American comedian Jeff Foxworthy. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on July 18, 1995. The album peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA. It was nominated for the Grammy for Best Spoken Comedy Album and as of 2011 still stands as Jeff Foxworthy's best-selling album, with 2,084,000 copies sold in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margo Rey</span> Mexican singer-songwriter (born 1966)

Margo Rey is a Mexican singer-songwriter whose original stage name was Margo Reymundo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle</span> Comedy club in Michigan

Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle is a comedy club located in Metro Detroit, at 310 S. Troy St., Royal Oak, Michigan 48067.

Victor Darrell Henley, was an American comedian. Henley appeared on HBO, CBS, NBC, Fox, BRAVO, CMT, XM radio MTV, A&E, The History Channel. He was a VH1 VJ and had his own Comedy Central half-hour special as well as performances on The Late Show and The Tonight Show.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ron White- Profile". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  2. Shields, Mel (April 18, 2004). "Comic's Happy to Be the Main Attraction Now". The Sacramento Bee . p. Sunday Ticket 49. White was born in Fritch, Texas...
  3. Ron White, I Had the Right to Remain Silent... But I Didn't Have the Ability Archived 2016-05-01 at the Wayback Machine , 2007, Chapter 3
  4. Mark C. Anderson, Blue-collar Comedy Bad-Boy Ron White Totes Scotch and Surprising Sensitivity to Salinas Archived 2013-02-08 at archive.today , Monterey County Weekly, July 26, 2012
  5. "IMDB Ron White". IMDb . Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  6. Hesse, Josiah M. (May 13, 2013). "Ron White on gay marriage, marijuana and opening acts -- including Josh Blue". Westword. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  7. "Ron White – Scotch Whisky". YouTube . Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  8. "Comedian Ron White and Acclaimed Music Producer Michael Blakey Partner to Form Organica Music Group". Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  9. " 'Blue Collar' comedian Ron White announces he's running for president" Archived 2015-11-12 at the Wayback Machine , AOL News. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  10. "Ron White". Nndb.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  11. Daniel Goldblatt (October 13, 2013). "Ron White's Marriage Deemed Legal, Estranged Wife Can Go After Him for Spousal Support". Yahoo.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "How Comedian Ron White Quit Drinking and Why Will Smith Will be a Joke Forever". Los Angeles Magazine. May 5, 2022.
  13. "The Armed Forces Foundation Honors Ron White at Annual Congressional Gala". Allbusiness.com.
  14. "State of Texas Honors Comedian Ron White". April 27, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  15. "Austin Hurricane Relief". Archived from the original on December 6, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.