Nationally Syndicated Radio & TV Personality Tom Joyner Remembers Legendary Comedian Richard Pryor

Nationally Syndicated Radio & TV Personality Tom Joyner Remembers Legendary Comedian Richard Pryor

DALLAS, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Tom Joyner, the nationally syndicated radio and TV personality, devoted segments of his radio show to remember Richard Pryor and today issued the statement below. To listen to highlights of the show and read more about Pryor, go to BlackAmericaWeb.com (http://blackamericaweb.com/)

"Now that he's passed on a lot of people will start reflecting on his comedy, but I don't think most black people ever stopped. Richard Pryor's comedy represented a measure of freedom for black people because he talked about things black people rarely talked about in mixed company. It's one thing to joke about white people and black/white relationships in an all black setting, it's another thing to do it in a mixed audience or on national TV. After he did it, all black comedians started doing it.

"I think most people know where they were when they heard their first Richard Pryor album. If you were underage, you probably had a cool uncle or older sibling that let you listen if you promised not to tell your parents.

"His comedy, his phrases, and his punch lines are a part of Black American life. A lot of people quote things Richard Pryor has said and don't even realize where it came from like "What kind of name is that for an N Word?" Or "What's wrong with your natural?"

Everybody black or white could relate to his stories and the characters he portrayed. By pointing out our differences, he actually pointed out a lot of our similarities and I guess that was the genius of his comedy.

"Even though I knew the day was coming, as it is when anyone you love dies, you're never ready for it when it actually happens. It caught me off guard and I had to figure out the right time to announce it as I hosted an audience of 10,000 at a Christmas concert in Detroit.

"Richard Pryor's death reminds me of how important it is to support the entertainers we really love. So many people will regret never having had a chance to see him perform live. I won't have that regret. I saw Ali box, I saw Luther Vandross and the Queen of Soul perform live and I saw Richard Pryor do his thing at the Comedy Store in Hollywood. And just like everyone else there; I memorized everything he said and repeated it back to the first person I saw."

ABOUT REACH MEDIA:

Reach Media, founded by radio and television personality, philanthropist and entrepreneur Tom Joyner, is a multi-media company formed in January 2003 as the parent company of The Tom Joyner Morning Show, the Tom Joyner Show in television syndication and several other businesses that will target African- Americans through radio, television, event production and the internet. The Morning Show is aired in more than 115 markets throughout the United States, reaching more than 8 million listeners every week. Its website, BlackAmericaWeb.com, which has more than 850,000 members, is a virtual town square for visitors to get daily news, play games, search for jobs and listen to the Morning Show online.

Source: Reach Media

CONTACT: Neil Foote, Director of Communications of Reach Media,
+1-972-371-5840, neil.foote@reachmediainc.com

Web site: http://blackamericaweb.com/

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