Comedian Rahn Ramey is “on” at hello. But if 25 years in the funny business doesn’t do that to you, what else will?
After performing for crowds around the country for a quarter-century, Ramey returns home to his St. Louis roots next week as headliner for the Westport Funnybone.
“I went to Roosevelt High School,” Ramey said. “It was so long ago that it was all white when I graduated.”
Probably because of his gift for gab, Ramey’s first professional path included a career in law.
“I just wasn’t any good at it,” Ramey admitted. “I hated it.”
A “mutual departure” as a volunteer legal advisor sealed his fate as an attorney.
“It was one of those action committees where you help people with legal aid,” Ramey said. “I quit right before I could get fired.”
His debut as a comic came in 1986 when he was tapped as the opening act for Smokey Robinson at the Fox Theatre.
“I had no idea what I was doing but I got away with it,” Ramey said.
He took his father’s advice of “pretending like you know what you’re doing” to a new level.
“I got an entourage, I had jackets made and brought in a makeup person … all of that,” Ramey said. “I made $150 that night and ended up owing $320.”
But that night led to more and more gigs. Pretty soon he was a mainstay on the local comic scene. He went on to open up for Luther Vandross (eventually more than a dozen times) and perform at comedy hotspots around the U.S.
“I was in Atlantic City and it was The Sopranos all day long,” Ramey said. “They walk around with these big, bad, heavy New York accents, but drop you off on Cote Brilliante and Union and see how bad you are – or the 5500 block.”
In addition to Vandross and Robinson, Rahn has opened for Al Jarreau, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King and Randy Travis. His television appearances include HBO Comedy Relief, An Evening At the Improv, and the Comedy Club Network. He appeared in the films Planes, Trains, & Automobiles and Escape From New York.
He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, where he wrote for comics like Drew Carey and John Henton.
Unfortunately instead of making it, he admitted that made a mess of his career and life, so he moved to New Orleans in 2003 to regroup.
“I wanted to live somewhere where I could just be – instead of always trying to be somebody,” Ramey said. “I had to get out of my way. I was the person who was messing up me.”
Just as Ramey was getting settled in, Katrina ravaged the city. He was on tour, and the hurricane left him only with the clothing he had with him for his gig as his entire worldly possessions.
“I learned to accessorize!” Ramey said. “I had five suits and I was adding scarves, sweater and changing ties.”
Just as he had done in Los Angeles after the loss of his mother in his personal life and the loss of a production deal with Will Smith on the professional side of things, Ramey picked up the pieces and moved forward.
He’s certain people will appreciate and enjoy his return to St. Louis.
“I tell them the truth,” Ramey said. “My daddy used to say that the truth is a lie you will never forget.”
Historic comedy foundation
Ramey joked about the hardcore ‘hood quality of some St. Louis neighborhoods, but the comedic legacy in the city is no laughing matter. Even before he would discuss himself and his career, he mentioned Maurice’s Gold Coast – said by many to be the first black comedy club in the country.
“Dick Gregory, Sinbad, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernie Mac,” Ramey said. “All of them came through there, many before they became big names.”
The legacy of the club, as well as the paths blazed by local comic legends like Gregory and Red Foxx, are things he hopes new comedians from the area do not take lightly.
Ramey said, “I would say to them, ‘Don’t be ordinary and common. Be smart, be articulate, be correct, just class yourself up. Anybody can be vulgar. That’s not a legacy, that’s a dirty joke in a bathroom.”
It’s a lesson he learned through a chance meeting with Bill Cosby in the early 1980s near the Chase Park Plaza.
“He’s not one of the nicest people when you first meet him. I called him ‘Bill’ and he was ready to fight,” Ramey said.
“When I told him that I wanted to be a comedian, Mr. Cosby said, ‘Don’t demean yourself, your race or your family name.’ I never forgot those words. He told me the facts and then just walked away.”
Rahn Ramey will headline the Funnybone Westport Plaza (614 Westport Plaza) Sept. 30 – Oct. 5. Call (314) 469-6692 or visit http://www.funnyboneusa.com/stlouis/default.htm. For more information on Rahn Ramey, visit www.rahnramey.com.
