BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

Hugh Gaddy · Tuesday, December 8th 2009 at 5:31PM · 169 views

Redd Foxx

Comic Legend, John Elroy Sanford, A.K.A. Redd Foxx, Was Born December 9, 1922, In St. Louis, Missouri. Foxx Grew Up On Chicago's South Side. To Support Himself In The Early Days, He Worked As A Dishwasher, In A Speakeasy, Another Soon-To-Be Famous Employee Named Malcolm Little, Worked There With Him. Malcolm Little Would Later Become, Malcolm X.Little, Who Grew Up In Michigan, Was Known As "Detroit Red." Foxx Was Known As "Chicago Red," Due To His Reddish Complexion. Foxx Took His Eventual Stage Name From Baseball Player, Jimmie Foxx. During Late 1947 - 1951 He Teamed Up With Comedian, Slappy White, Working Nightclubs. He Went Solo During The 1950's. Foxx Became Famous For The Adult Content In His Comedy Routines. The Raunchy Humor From His Stage Performances Also Became The Trademark For More Than 50 "Party Album" Recordings. He Paved The Way For Comics, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy And Chris Rock. A Small Role In The Ossie Davis Film, "Cotton Comes To Harlem", Landed Foxx The Role Of Junk Man, Fred G. Sanford, On The 1970's NBC Sitcom, "Sanford And Son". Foxx Used His Star Power To Employ Friends Slappy White (Melvin), LaWanda Page (Aunt Esther), And Pat Morita (Ah-Chew), As Part Of The Show's Ensemble Cast. "Sanford And Son" Ended In 1977. Foxx Filed Banruptcy In 1983. The IRS Claimed He Owed $3 Million And Seized Most Of His Property, Including His Home In Las Vegas. Foxx Appeared In The Film, "Harlem Nights,", With Richard Pryor And Eddie Murphy, He Also Attempted A Few TV Comebacks With The Shows, "The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour" (1977-78), "Sanford" (1980-81), "The Redd Foxx Show" (1986) And "The Royal Family" (1991). Redd Foxx, Died On October 11, 1991, On The Set Of "The Royal Family". A CLASSIC "SANFORD & SON" EPISODE "In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr. Hugh Gaddy

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BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

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