| Funny Man J. Anthony Brown Ignites Belly Laughs for Audience of Millions, But Remains Comedy’s Best Kept Secret!!! Co-Host of the Tom Joyner Morning Show Jokes, Laughs, and Stimulates As comedian/actor J. Anthony Brown tells it, it was a matter of $316.00 that put him on the road to comedy. The year was 1972 and he was a tailor relocating from his home in Columbia, South Carolina to Atlanta, GA in pursuit of a career as a clothing designer, only to be denied entry to the school of his chose; all because he was $316 short of tuition money. Not one to be deterred, Brown went to a local nightclub and decided to try his hand at stand-up. After entering a local gong show contest, the owner of the club invited J. back to host on a regular basis. The club was Mr. V’s Figure Eight, and J. spent the next two years there, transforming the venue into an Atlanta hot spot. Needless to say a career in comedy was launched and the one time tailor never looked back! J. Anthony Brown can be heard in the mornings, five days a week, as the co-host of the internationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show on ABC Radio Network. Stimulating his audience with humorous skits, hair- raising improv and gut-busting comedy routines, Brown is a rousing wake-up call! Heard in 95 national markets, millions tune in for a dose of J. on a daily basis. Yet, J. Anthony Brown is perhaps one of comedy’s best kept secrets. Well known, but not widely recognized, his audience hears him, but doesn’t always know when they are seeing him. Mornings aside however, Brown has been honing a serious career in comedy for the past 25 years. After leaving Atlanta for Los Angeles in 1989 to pursue television, J. landed on his feet as head staff writer for the Arsenio Hall Show. “A friend referred me to the show and I got the job, even though I was a bad speller and couldn’t type! I remained at Arsenio for the next 5 years, though I admit, my spelling never got any better,” he reveals with a mischievous grin. Brown went on to rack up an impressive list of acting, writing and tour credits. Me and the Boys and Parenthood have benefited from his writing skills, while the entertainer has performed on Vibe, Def Jam, It’s Showtime at the Apollo and Evening at the Improv. He has appeared on Living Single, Moesha and Sparks and in the motion picture How To Be A Player. He’s also warmed up audiences for Martin, Sister Sister, Roc and Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper. The recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award and NAACP Image Award, J. Anthony Brown has proven to be a whirlwind of talent. His appearance on Oprah was a career highlight, however. Known for his weekly song parodies on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Brown waged a 4-week campaign to attract the daytime host’s attention. “Every Friday on the show, I parody songs….even though I can’t sing,” recounts J. “The first week I did Oprah to the tune of “Oklahoma”. The second Friday, it was Oprah to “Oh, Girl’, followed by Oprah to “Old Man River.” The last week, I did Oprah to the tune of “Give Me the Reason….I Can’t Be on Your Show.” To my dismay however, I got no response from Oprah. “ “Then one day Oprah came on the Morning Show as a guest and I begged her for tickets in the audience. This she granted. Well, while visiting the show, some of her audience members recognized me and persuaded her to have me perform my parodies in person during a show break. I guess I finally won her over, and I was booked for a future show,” he concludes. Not one to rest on his comedy laurels, J. is also an enterprising entrepreneur. In addition to a line of T-shirts and caps promoting the Tom Joyner Morning Show’s host of comedy characters, Brown has CD’s, videos and even his own line of honey, and hot sauce, all accessible at watchoutdehnow.com. With so many accomplishments under his belt, what does “Comedy’s Best Kept Secret” hope for in the future. “I’ve had a very blessed career,” remarks J. “My wish list does include my own syndicated show, a HBO special and more movie and television roles. I also plan on opening up my own comedy club in the near future.” A prolific comedian, actor and comedy writer, J. Anthony Brown has been diligently honing a steadfast career, tickling many a funny bone in the process. So much so that we can rest assure, talent like his won’t remain a “secret” for long. For a cyber dose of his special brand of humor, go to watchoutdehnow.com. |