George Carlin is a comedian and a social satirist. He has had a lengthy radio career, released over twenty albums, appeared in many films and television shows, written two books, and performed countless live shows.
He was born May 12, 1937, in Bronx, New York. He began his professional career in radio at KJOE, Shreveport, Louisiana in July 1956, at the age of 19, while serving in the US Air Force. Following KJOE, he landed at WEZE in Boston. That job lasted three months. George had several indifferent radio jobs over the next few years.
The turning point came in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1959 on radio station KXOL. Together with newsman Jack Burns, he started developing comedy routines for an eventual nightclub act. In 1960 on KDAY, Hollywood, George worked with Burns as the Wright Brothers, the wacky morning DJs for three months. They both quit radio in June 1960 to work nightclubs as Burns and Carlin.
Burns and Carlin stayed together two years, playing leading clubs, getting good press exposure, and making a first appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jack Paar". Although working mainly mainstream clubs, the act had a decidedly antiestablishment, satirical flavor. During this period, while appearing at the Racquet Club in Dayton, Ohio, George met Brenda Hosbrook, whom he married in June 1961. Burns and Carlin broke up in 1962 so that each could pursue a solo career.
After splitting with Burns, George spent about a year working in nightclubs without much success and with no television exposure. In 1963, he branched out into folk clubs and coffeehouses, where the audiences were more progressive, and where he could develop styles of material he felt capable of. He focused on the more outspoken irreverent routines that were closer to his heart. In 1963, he found the Cafe au Go Go in Greenwich Village and spent the better part of two years there developing his comic style. Ironically, it was in this folk/jazz setting that he developed the first bits which got him on television, the ultimate establishment medium. The Indian Sergeant, Wonderful Wino, and the Hippy Dippy Weatherman were all born during this period. So was George and Brenda's only daughter, Kelly.
In 1965, George began to get extensive TV exposure: 58 appearances in 1965 and 1966 alone, mostly on Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas. Network spots during that period included George's first few Johnny Carson appearances, which now number over 130. In the summer of 1966, George was a regular on the Kraft Summer Music Hall with John Davidson, and in following years he starred with Buddy Greco and Buddy Rich on "Away We Go", the summer replacement for Jackie Gleason. His first album, "Take-Offs and Put-Ons", was released in 1967 on RCA Victor.
In 1967, George began the transition to acting, his original goal. But a guest shot on "That Girl, a part in the Doris Day film "With Six You Get Eggroll", and numerous auditions only served to make him feel that he wasn't quite ready for acting, and so he concentrated on his stand-up career. Between 1967 and 1970, he made another 80 TV appearances, including such shows as Ed Sullivan, Tom Jones, Steve Allen, Jackie Gleason and Carol Burnett. He also worked in all the major nightclubs, including the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, where he had a three-year contract, an association that would later prove significant for George's career in an unexpected way.
During the late 1960s, because of the influence television was having on his career, George's material grew bland and safe. The rebellious, antiestablishment tone of some of his earlier routines disappeared, and increasingly he felt bored and dissatisfied with his material and the places he was working. By 1970, his self-imposed restrictions no longer applied; his acting career had been put on hold, and the country was changing. The people who had inhabited the folk clubs and coffeehouses of the early 1960s were now the counterculture, a large, ready-made audience which shared many of George's out-of-step attitudes and opinions. He began to drift in their direction.
During 1970, the irreverent tone returned to his material, he grew a beard, and began to dress more casually. However, the new George Carlin didn't sit well with the middle-class audiences or with nightclub owners. A series of incidents with audiences and owners that year culminated in his being fired from the Frontier Hotel in September for saying "shit." In December, he worked his last establishment job: the San Francisco Playboy Club. From then on, his comic identity became more and more associated with the counterculture.
In 1972, a recording contract led to the release of "FM & AM", an album which won a Grammy Award after going gold. It was the first of four successive gold albums that George recorded for Little David Records during the first half of the 1970s. Ten of his original albums have been nominated for Grammys.
The next medium for the wide exposure for George's stand-up routines was to be cable TV, specifically Home Box Office. In 1977, he taped "On Location: George Carlin at USC". This special at the California campus initiated a string of eight HBO comedy concert broadcasts, including the highly regarded "Carlin at Carnegie", taped at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1982. Carlin's seventh cable concert, "Doin' It Again", produced in 1990, was the recipient of a CableACE Award, the cable industry's highest honor. In April 1992 George received his second straight CableACE Award for "Jammin' In New York". The concert was broadcast live from the Paramount Theater at New York's Madison Square Garden. He also received an Emmy nomination for that performance. The CD from that show won him the 1993 Grammy award for best spoken-word comedy album.
In addition to HBO concerts and albums, 1984 saw the publication of Carlin's book, "Sometimes A Little Brain Damage Can Help". The collection of short humor pieces and odd comedy lines that George felt were best suited to the printed form has sold over 70,000 copies.
In 1987, George was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. His comment: "I like it because it's tangible recognition. I only hope no one throws up on it."
In 1992, George earned two Emmy nominations playing the part of Mister Conductor on the critically acclaimed children's show "Shining Time Station", seen nationally on PBS. He has thus far taped forty-five episodes. Later in 1995, George can be seen on four one-hour prime-time "Shining Time" specials.
The fall of 1992 saw the release of a Double CD, "George Carlin: Classic Gold", on Ear Drum Records. It is a complete record of George's first three gold albums from the early 1970s: "FM & AM", "Class Clown" and "Occupation: Foole". Ear Drum Records is the result of a merger of George's former record company, Little David Records, which he gained ownership of along with longtime business partner Jerry Hamza.
In January 1994, "The George Carlin Show" premiered on FOX TV. Twenty-seven shows were produced before its cancellation one year later.
Recently, George released his second book, "Brain Droppings", which met with instant acclaim. Sadly, just before publication of the book, George's beloved wife Brenda passed away after 36 years of marriage.
George Carlin is still going. He performs over 100 concert dates a year throughout the country, and is planning a new HBO comedy special for a 1998 release.