Tony Woods (comedian)
Tony Woods is an American comedy writer and stand-up comedian known for being a mentor to Dave Chappelle and others.[1] He was an original member of Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam and P. Diddy's Bad Boys of Comedy.[2]
Early life[edit]
Woods was born in New York, raised in Charlotte, North Carolina until he was seven, and moved to Washington D.C. when he was 10 years old.[3][4][5] His teens were spent in Silver Spring, Maryland.[3] He served in the Navy as a corpsman from 1989-1991 during Desert Storm.[3][5] He has often said that if he hadn't been a comedian he would have been a dentist.[6]
Career[edit]
Woods did his first stand-up at the Comedy Cafe in Washington D.C. when he was 23 years old.[3] Much of his earliest comedy work was on international stages, touring Europe and the Middle East.[3][6]
Woods is a DC-area comedian who frequently performs observational comedy in what the New York Times calls "a laid-back, meditative style, a mellow brand of cool."[1] He will frequently use wordplay and malapropisms to make points about larger issues.[1] When Dave Chappelle won the Mark Twain Prize, Woods was the first person he thanked, saying that Woods "[did] it absolutely right."[1] Woods says he does not have any particular style and his comedy doesn't have a formula.[6] He frequently will not even write down the jokes for his performances.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "He Helped Make Dave Chappelle Dave Chappelle". The New York Times. 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ "Tony Woods from HBO's Def Comedy Jam, Comedy Central Presents & Funny or Die at Drafthouse Comedy in DC". Drafthouse Comedy. 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ a b c d e Fraley, Jason (26 August 2020). "Tony Woods, DC comedy vet and Dave Chappelle mentor, cracks up Birchmere". WTOP. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ Castleberry, Tony (27 July 2018). "Comedian Tony Woods makes rare return to southeastern NC". WECT. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ a b c Tuccio-Koonz, Linda (2020-12-02). "Chappelle mentor Tony Woods at Bridgeport's Stress Factory". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ a b c "Interview with Comedian Tony Woods, FLOW Entertainment". FLOW Entertainment Group, LLC. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
External links[edit]
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