Comedy Ventriloquism, Message

You don’t know how funny Willie Brown and Woody are until you see them live. They’re not just your average comedian/ventriloquist team. Brown takes a different approach to the age old craft by making it fresh, new and hip for today’s more savvy comedy audiences. It’s not just about seeing him not moving his lips and hearing Woody speak. “It’s about the jokes,” says Brown. After watching this act for a few moments you forget that Willie is there and it seems as if Woody transcends into a standup comedian on his own. Willie does the set up and Woody gives the punch! Willie Brown is a nationally known ventriloquist who has appeared several times on BET Comic View, HBO DEF Comedy Jam, Loco Comedy Jam, Phaturdays, The Jenny Jones Show and most recently in a recurring role on the Showtime Network series Barbershop. From topics such as the family, church and how to deal with the homeless, to current events, Willie Brown and Woody bring it home.

Brown was born in New Haven, Connecticut, where his show business interest began with magic. He later became interested in the art of ventriloquism and thus combined it with standup comedy. His early motivation was to fool his friends. “If I could fool my friends then it was on,” says Brown. He was inspired by legendary ventriloquist Willie Tyler and Lester from the Motown Revue along with Jay Johnson who played the team of Chuck and Bob on the hit tv sitcom Soap. Brown credits Tyler as being a mentor and a friend. “He use to talk to me for hours in the back of the World Famous Comedy Store giving me history about the great comedians who passed through the doors, and some of the big music acts that he would tour with like Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and The Supremes, and the Temptations. I loved it. I would just sit there and take it all in”, says Brown.

Brown entered college at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, where he would major in Mass Media Arts and perform at fraternity/sorority functions and on military bases. After graduating, he relocated to the Washington, D.C., area where he really honed his skills by working at local comedy clubs like The Comedy Connection of Greenbelt, Garvin’s, The Comedy Café, and The Improv. He would work along side of Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes and Chris Thomas, to name a few. Willie hosted a local TV show called The Comedy Jam which was a follow up to The Soul of Comedy. The show aired on Channel 32, WHMM-TV, Howard University. It was an urban standup comedy show featuring some of Washington, D.C.’s finest up and coming comedians. Bill Pratt was the producer of the show. The show was a hit and actually came out before BET Comic View or HBO Def Comedy Jam. Not only did Pratt produce this show, moreover, he was also the Field Producer of the new BET Comic View show featuring D.L. Hughley as the host. Pratt assisted Willie in getting on the first season of BET Comic View and the rest is history.

Willie Brown and Woody now perform largely at churches, theaters, colleges, comedy clubs and corporate events. Brown and his sidekick have headlined many comedy clubs throughout the country and abroad. They’ve performed numerous times overseas at U.S. military bases in Korea, Japan, Germany and Bosnia. They have also performed in England, Amsterdam, South Africa and the Caribbean. Brown has toured with Cedric The Entertainer and worked with Steve Harvey, Jamie Foxx and Mike Epps. He’s opened for a number of well known music artists including Boys To Men, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Chaka Khan, James Brown, Gladys Knight, Al Green, The Whispers and more. Willie Brown and Woody can be seen regularly at the World Famous Comedy Store or the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California.

The big screen is no unfamiliar territory for Brown. He’s an avid actor and has appeared in the movie Tears of a Clown starring Don D.C. Curry, and in All About You, a romantic comedy starring Lisa Raye, Debbie Allen and Rockmond Dunbar, The Let Out Guys, which is a comedy short, and his own film Footcops, which he wrote and produced. Brown has also made an impact on the commercial world booking national spots for Kellogg’s Eggo Waffle Syrup, American Airlines, McDonald’s, Skittles and others. In his hard to find spare moments Willie spends his time writing and developing screenplays. He recently released a new comedy CD titled Willie Brown and Woody on the Up and Up (in stores soon). Willie Brown is also a corporate humorist who gives speeches nationally.

"My parents are from the south, but I was born up north in New Haven, Connecticut. I was raised as a city boy with a southern upbringing. We went to Immanuel Baptist Church, where I remember my parents being very involved. When I became twelve years old my father insisted that I make a decision to give my life to Christ and be baptized. So I did what he said and thus began to have a real personal relationship with Christ.

"As a child and a young man I went through my trials and tribulations like any other Christian. I may have not have walked as strong on the Christian path as I would have liked to, but I never forgot who my Lord and Savior was. I rededicated my life to Christ on June 21, 1996. Since then I have had a much stronger walk with him. This is actually the first time in my life that I have been so involved in God's work. God has truly blessed me with talent and ability. I can actually say that I am living my dreams. I work for myself doing exactly what it is that I want to do. I travel all over the world spreading joy and inspiration to others. What more can I really ask for?

"As far as my gift of comedy goes, I did not know that I possessed such a thing until just a few years ago. I thought that because I learned the art of ventriloquism through reading books that it was just something that I picked up. I did not know that it was God inspired and that I would be able to travel all around the world making people happy. I later realized that being a comedian is a true gift and that making people laugh and being able to spread the gospel at the same time is so very special. Oftentimes I will be performing at a church or Christian function and the spirit will just take over and create jokes and material impromptu. It amazes me how God can use us if we allow him the opportunity.

"I believe that God uses me and my talents to inspire others through the gift of humor. Laughter is a healing medicine that no one should be deprived of."

"I want to again thank you for the laughter. God is truly using you to teach us that Christianity isn't dull but fun with life and challenges. I really enjoyed meeting you and spending the evening."

- Cornelia, St. Luke AME Zion Church

"Willie Brown is the only comedian-ventriloquist of our times."

- Entertainment Weekly

"A hype act that will have you standing to your feet."

- Hollywood Reporter

Comedy Clubs
- Comedy Store
- The Laugh Factory, Hollywood, CA
- The Icehouse, Pasadena CA
- Headlines at many other clubs and churches

  nationwide, working with comedy greats such as

  Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer and D.L.

  Hughley.

Television
- The Best of BET Comic View
- HBO's Loco Comedy Slam
- Def Comedy Jam
- The Extreme Gong Show
- Pilot TV programs and commercials

Film
- Love The Way

- Footcops

- Tears of a Clown

- The Let Out Guys

- Recently released a new comedy CD titled
  Willie Brown and Woody on the Up and Up

Tours
- Performed for the troops in Bahrain, Mar/Apr 2004

Performer: Willie Brown

Travels from: Atlanta, GA

Performance Fee: Call for quote

Travel Requirements: Airfare and Hotel for (1)