Ron White

Ron White
White in 2010
Birth name	Ronald Dee White
Born	(1956-12-18) December 18, 1956 Fritch, Texas, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up
Nationality	American
Years active	1987–present
Genres	Country comedy, observational comedy, satire
Influences	Bill Hicks, George Carlin, Jeff Foxworthy, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, Bob Newhart
Spouse	Lori Brice (1981–1999) 1 child Barbara Dobbs (2004–2008) Margo Rey (10/2013–present)
Notable works and roles	Ron White: You Can't Fix Stupid Ron White: They Call Me Tater Salad Ron White: Behavioral Problems Ron White: A Little Unprofessional Blue Collar Comedy Tour
Website	www.tatersalad.com
Grammy Awards
"Comedy" for You Can't Fix Stupid (Nominee) (Best Comedy Album)

Ronald Dee "Ron" White (born December 18, 1956) is an American stand up comedian and actor, best known as a charter member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. He is the author of the book I Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't Have the Ability (Dutton 2006, ISBN 978-0-525-94961-9), which appeared on the New York Times best seller list.

Early life

White was born Ronald Dee White in Fritch, Texas on December 18, 1956 to Charles Don White and Barbara Joan Craig.^[1]

White served in the United States Navy. According to his own account, White joined the service at age 17 and served on the auxiliary rescue and salvage ship USS Conserver near the end of the Vietnam War.^[2] He is an avid fisherman (and has always loved fishing as a hobby) but from a young age his dream was to become a comedian. He lived in Mexico for a brief period and bought a pottery factory there^[3] before returning to America to pursue comedy. He included stories from his youth in his book I Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't Have the Ability.

Career

During 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.^[4] 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]

White is known for drinking Scotch as part of his act. 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!"^[6] In 2009 Comedy Central released Ron'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.^[7]

Personal life

On September 7, 2008, White was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after an anonymous tip informed Vero Beach, Florida police that White’s private plane would be carrying narcotics.^[8][9] He was found to be in possession of 7/8 of a gram of marijuana.^[10][11]

He married singer-songwriter, musician and cancer survivor Margo Rey in October 2013, proposing to her just weeks before her initial diagnosis. Her hairstyle, dubbed as "chemo-glam" by her husband, was cropped short for her wedding due to her chemotherapy. She continues her battle with cancer (now affecting her lymph node), describing White as "the best husband in the world." ^[12]

Awards and recognition

April 27, 2009 was designated as "Ron White Day" in the State of Texas by Texas legislative officials.^[13] White received the Armed Forces Foundation's "Patriot Award" in March 2009 for his work in raising money to help wounded soldiers.^[14] He also held benefit shows for Hurricane Katrina relief.^[15] White's 2013 comedy album, A Little Unprofessional, is nominated for Best Comedy Album in the upcoming 56th Annual Grammy Awards in January 2014.

Comedy releases

Besides the Blue Collar Comedy Tour CDs and films, White has released 6 solo projects to date.

Solo Works

• Tater Salad aka. Busted in Des Moines (1990) (CD)
• Drunk in Public (2003) (CD)
• They Call Me "Tater Salad" (2004) (DVD)
• You Can't Fix Stupid (2006) (DVD & CD)
• Ron White: Behavioral Problems (2009) (DVD & CD)
• A Little Unprofessional (2012) (DVD)

He has appeared on the following compilation albums:

• Redneck Comedy Roundup (2005)
• Comedy Central Presents Southern Gents of Comedy (2006)
• Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy & Bill Engvall: Live from Las Vegas (2004)
• Redneck Kings of Comedy (2005)

Discography

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ron White

• Official Website
• Ron White at the Internet Movie Database
• Ron White on Myspace
• Organica Music Group, Ron White and Michael Blakey's record label