I write of the great George Kirby.
Back when cable came to the suburbs in the 1970's, it introduced a lot of great entertainers into people's homes, who made have seen only a portion of their work when they appeared as guests on variety shows.
I saw Mr. Kirby for the first time on HBO. They showed his entire act. I was literally mesmorized by his impersonations. He was over and beyond.. Today a lot of the material would not go over because of our becoming such a niche society, . Prior to the advent of cable, with only a handful of TV stations to choose from, celebrities were universal, known to young and old. An impressionist didn't have to worry if an audience knew who they were mimicking.
The thing that really made George Kirby unique was his dead-on impersonations of the greatest singers of all time. He did all of them: Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Nat Cole, Pearl Bailey. I mean, Sarah Vaughan! One of the greatest jazz singers of all-time, and he just nails it.
What you have to understand, these were unique artists with very micro-detailed idiosyncracies. And he pulled it off with aplomb.
He was a natural musician, so he could imitate a jazz trombone or upright bass, with the improvisational ability of a professional.
What I loved about him was he would do one of his impersonations, the audience would applaud, and he would break out in this huge grin, an acknowledgement of the crowd while having fun at the same time. The consummate professional.
And, without missing a beat ,he could go to accurate mimics of Archie Bunker, Fat Albert or Richard Nixon.
He played piano like Count Basie. And for a man with his girth, he was suprisingly nimble on his feet. He could dance, too.
What I did not know until now is that Mr. Kirby changed the landscape and paradigm for black enterainers. He ignored the black stereotype and appealed to the masses, opening the doors for future comedians such as Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby.
An excellent article chronicle Mr. Kirby's life can be found here
An excerpt of his brillant nightclub act can be found by clicking here
As is the case with history, times change and tastes change. By the late 1970's, it took more stimuli to entertain and enthrall audiences. Saturday Night Live, the genesis of late-night TV, the zany humor of Steve Martin, Andy Kaufman. etc. became hip. His following dwindled and sadly, in a last ditch effort to save his home, he was caught in a drug selling sting.
To his credit, he did come back, but not the level he was at.
But from 1964-1972, he was in demand, earning an estimated $38,000 per week, which would be the equivlent of well over $150,000 in today's dollars.
He appeared on all the top shows, including the Tonight Show, Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason.
I hope this article will pique your curiosity in going back and looking at this great entertainer, and that his work gives you as much entertainment as it gives me.
I loved George Kirby.
