CLEARWATER - Comedian Ron “Tater Salad” White, best known as the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman from the “Blue Collar Comedy” phenomenon returns to Ruth Eckerd Hall on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7 and 9:30 p.m.
The 7 p.m. show is sold out, but tickets are available for the 9:30 p.m. performance.
White has always been a classic storyteller. His routines relay tales from his real life; ranging from growing up in a small town in Texas to joining the ranks of some of the most successful comedians in America.
He is a certified platinum-selling artist: having sold more than 10 million No. 1 albums, he has been nominated for two Grammys and continues to be one of the top five grossing comedians on tour. Furthermore, White’s three Comedy Central stand-up specials are the top three rated specials in Comedy Central history.
After gaining momentum with his standup, White was asked to join Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy on the “Blue Collar Comedy Tour,” in 2000. The tour played to sold-out audiences in more than 90 cities and grossed more than $35 million. The group toured for more than three years, during which Warner Bros filmed the guys’ stand-up, leading to the theatrical release of the film Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie in 2003. The film’s premiere on Comedy Central still remains one of the highest rated movies in the channel’s history.
Following on the heels of the success from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie, White released his breakthrough comedy CD “Drunk In Public” in November 2003 and soon followed up with his first one-hour TV comedy special “They Call Me Tater Salad.” The special earned Comedy Central the highest rated Sunday in its history, and the show’s DVDs and CDs have sold more than 2.5 million copies to date.
In March 2006, White’s second one-hour special “You Can’t Fix Stupid” aired on Comedy Central to 4.5 million viewers, making it the third largest audience in Comedy Central’s history and the number one show in primetime on basic cable. The CD quickly went to No. 1 on the Billboard Comedy Charts, topping the charts for nine consecutive weeks and nabbing a Grammy nomination. White also received a second Grammy nomination for the CD “Blue Collar Comedy Tour - One for The Road.”
In June 2006, Penguin Books released Ron “Tater Salad” White: I Had the Right to Remain Silent…But I Didn’t Have the Ability. Written in the same style as his comedy routines, Ron’s authorial debut landed him on the New York Times Best Seller List.
In 2009, he released the album “Behavioral Problems” which peaked at number one on Billboard’s top comedy albums chart. Additionally, White continues to participate in his annual benefit “Salute to the Troops,” which raises money for the Armed Forces Foundation. In 2011, the benefit show, featuring performances by Lewis Black, Kathleen Madigan, and Rascal Flatts, was the second most watched show on CMT. In February 2012, White headed back to the Grand Ole Opry House for his fifth annual Comedy Salute to the Troops, which will premiere on CMT later this year.
White has been featured in the major feature films Horrible Bosses and Sex and the City 2 and has a principal role in Jayne Mansfield’s Car, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2012.
Reserved tickets priced at $48.75 and $58.75 are available at the Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office located at 1111 McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater or by calling 727-791-7400 and online at www.rutheckerdhall.com.
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