Category Archives: Comedians A by First Name

Ambrose Jones

A laconic, self deprecating comedian, Ambrose Jones embarked his comedy career in Memphis, TN. turning his southern humor and unique point of view into a brand.

Ambrose Jones

July 22, 2015 he showcased his talent on NBC for Last Comic Standing. Kennan Ivory Wayans said he is like a breath of fresh air and reminds him of a country Chris Rock. Ellen DeGeneres tweeted (you killed it on LCS). Jones made it past the invitational round to the Semi-finals.
During the 2nd audition of LCS at Gotham Comedy Club in NYC, he was approached by the owner of the club and ask to film a show called Gotham Live which is a tv show filmed lived at the club and aired on Axs Tv earlier this year.

Ambrose Jones at the Comedy House

Since then Comedian Ambrose Jones remains on the road spreading laughter which is the best medicine because there has never been a recall on it.

Arnez J

To those in the know, Arnez J. one of the hottest, most talked about comedic artists in the game. His raw energy, talent and comedic skill quickly landed Arnez the coveted hosting slot on BET’s longest running comedy series “Comic View” for two seasons joining the ranks of hosts such as D.L. Hughley and Cedric the Entertainer. His hilarious comedy special “Racially Motivated” is available on Netflix.

Arnez J

Arnez J.’s charisma and physical agility are unforgettable. “J is a whirling dervish on stage–he runs, jumps, spins, slides, slips, and mugs through a performance, acting out many of his bits while describing them,” wrote Doug Kaufman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Arnez admits of himself “I’ve always expressed my things through mannerisms and facial expressions rather than speaking.”

Arnez J performing at the Comedy House, Berryhill Rd. Columbia SC

On his own at age 14, Arnez lied about his age to get a job at a gas station to work his way through school. With dreams to become a professional baseball player, Arnez began working as a flight attendant when those baseball plans fell through. It was while working as a flight attendant that Arnez discovered his comedic talent. He realized that he had the ability to keep the passengers and crew laughing and, upon encouragement from friends, he made his first attempt at stand-up comedy. After that first night on stage, he knew what he wanted to do. He left his job with the airlines and made the decision to devote all of his time to a career in comedy.

Arnez got a chance to combine his ambitions as both an athlete and performer when he was recruited by scouts for the famed Harlem Globetrotters basketball team who saw his very physical comedy
routine at a local basketball game. However, after several months, a knee injury ended his Globetrotters career, finally clearing the way for him to devote himself full time to standup comedy.

Arnez J

An Atlanta native, Arnez began working the comedy circuit in Georgia and quickly became one of “Hotlanta’s” funniest newcomers. A finalist in the “Bay Area Black Comedy Competition,” he was immediately noticed by the entertainment industry and was asked to make his first television
appearance on Showtime’s “Comedy Club Network.” Numerous television appearances soon followed including appearances on “The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show,” “Louie Anderson’s Comedy Showcase,”
Comedy Central’s “Make Me Laugh,” NBC’s “Friday Night Videos,” “The Mo’Nique Show”, Russell Simmons’ “Def Comedy Jam,” his own BET “Comic View Grandstand Hour Special,” and “Comedy Central Presents: Arnez J.” He was most recently seen headlining Showtime’s “Shaquille O’Neal Presents: All Star Comedy Jam.”

Today, Arnez is widely considered one of the best working artists, with a polished and highly entertaining standup routine that keeps his audiences entertained without having to use profanity. In keeping with his plan, Arnez keeps up a dizzying pace performing for sold out crowds across the country.

Arsenio Hall

If you ask different people where they first saw Arsenio Hall, you’d probably get a number of different answers. But, it was the success of his Emmy Award-winning late night talk show “The Arsenio Hall Show” that made Arsenio a household name. The versatile actor, comedian and producer first became involved in the arts at “The Cleveland Playhouse” and continued to hone his craft through his Kent State University years.

In 1979, Hall moved from Ohio to Chicago, Illinois where he tried his hand at stand-up comedy and was discovered by Jazz singer Nancy Wilson. In the following few years Arsenio toured, opening for twenty major headliners including Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and Stevie Wonder. A short time later, Arsenio attempted to diversify his career by making numerous appearances on television shows such as “Solid Gold” and “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”…and doing his first film cameo in “Amazon Women on the Moon,” directed by John Landis.

Arsenio Hall @ Comedy House HSIn 1987, Arsenio was asked to replace Joan Rivers on the Fox Network series “The Late Show.” On the strength of his work as interim host, he was signed to a film and television deal with Paramount Pictures, which subsequently led to the opportunity to co-write and co-star in the hit (Paramount) comedy “Coming to America.”

On January 3, 1989, “The Arsenio Hall Show” made its debut. Virtually overnight, Arsenio changed the face of late night television by captivating young viewers across the country. During his successful five-year run as Executive Producer, Arsenio provided a forum for cutting edge comedy, politics and the television debut of such pop superstars as Mariah Carey, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Boyz II Men, and countless others. In 1994, Arsenio was again ready to grow and diversify. He resigned from the late night gabfest to pursue other personal and professional interests.

In 1998, Arsenio joined the cast of the CBS dramedy “Martial Law,” playing “Terrell Parker,” a streetwise L.A.P.D. detective, for two years. He followed this up with a two season stint as Host of the new “Star Search” (CBS). And then, taking on his most challenging task to date, he returned to stand-up comedy and toured for the first time in over a decade.

Angel Salazar

Angel SalazarAngel Salazar is a Cuban-American comedian and actor.

“My act is a sexual experience…written by Edgar Allen Poe!” Angel Salazar, the man most known as Chi Chi from “Scarface” describes his stand-up act as only he could. A hurricane of hilarity, the pop culture icon has been performing stand-up since the early 1980s with a one of a kind show. Combining stand-up, improv, props, and costumes, Angel turns a headlining act into a energetic live action event. Much like the catchphrase he has been using since his beginning in the business, a comedy fan must “sheck it out!”

Angel has played many major roles including parts in Scarface where he played ChiChi next to Al Pacino and Carlitos Way as well as Where The Buffalo Roam with Bill Murray, Punchline with Sally Fields and Tom Hanks, also the cult film The Wild Life with Christopher Penn. He has opened for the Beach Boys, Billy Ocean, Whitney Houston, Van Halen and The Miami Sound Machine.

He is known internationally for saying “Sheck it out” (check it out).

angelsalazarAngel and ScarfaceAngel-Salazar-Al-Pacino

Angie Stone

Angie StoneA singer, MC, self-taught keyboardist, and prolific songwriter, Angie Stone’s first claim to fame was her membership in the Sequence, an all-female trio that recorded for pioneering hip-hop label Sugar Hill, beginning with the 1979 single “Funk You Up.” Several years later, she re-emerged as the lead vocalist for Vertical Hold, where she scored with the smooth urban dance track “Seems You’re Much Too Busy,” a Top 40 R&B hit during the summer of 1993 that led to very productive solo career. With the release of her 1999 solo debut, she became one of neo-soul’s leading lights, providing sharp insight into romantic relationships with her smoky yet up-front voice.

Stone, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, began singing gospel music at a young age at First Nazareth Baptist Church. Her father, a member of a local gospel quartet, would take his only child to see performances by gospel artists such as the Singing Angels and the Gospel Keynotes. During her youth, she wrote poetry, played sports, and, after high-school graduation, was offered college basketball scholarships. While working dead-end jobs, Stone began saving money to record her own demos at a local studio called PAW. She joined Gwendolyn Chisholm and Cheryl Cook in the rap trio the Sequence, who recorded hits for Joe and Sylvia Robinson’s Sugar Hill label — “Funk You Up,” a remake of Parliament’s hit “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker” called “Funky Sound (Tear the Roof Off),” and “I Don’t Need Your Love.” Soon after, Stone was working with futuristic rap group Mantronix and rocker Lenny Kravitz, and she later formed the classy R&B trio Vertical Hold, who first charted with the Criminal single “Summertime.” Besides “Seems You’re Much Too Busy,” the group’s self-titled A&M album spawned another charting single, “ASAP.” The group split after its second album.

Stone subsequently signed to Arista as a solo artist and recorded 1999’s Black Diamond, a Top Ten R&B album that was certified gold on the strength of the singles “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” and “Everyday” (one of several songs she has written either for or with D’Angelo). The album won her a pair of Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. She shifted to J for 2001’s Mahogany Soul, another gold seller. Released in 2004, Stone Love fared just as well commercially, yet she moved to the revitalized Stax label for her fourth studio album, 2007’s The Art of Love & War. It topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and featured two of her best singles, “Sometimes” and “Baby” — the latter of which received a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Unexpected, a Top 20 R&B Stax release, followed two years later, while 2012’s Rich Girl was issued on Saguaro Road. Also an occasional actor, she appeared in a handful of movies, including The Fighting Temptations and Pastor Brown, as well as the television programs Moesha, Girlfriends, and Lincoln Heights. ~ Ed Hogan & Andy Kellman, Rovi