<span style="font-weight: bold;"><img style="width: 225px; height: 293px;" src="http://comedycollege.publicradio.org/images/foxx_redd.gif"/>
Comic Legend, <span style="font-style: italic;">John Elroy Sanford</span>, A.K.A. <span style="font-style: italic;">Redd Foxx</span>, Was Born December 9, 1922, In St. Louis, Missouri. Foxx Grew Up On Chicago's South Side.
To Support Himself In The Early Days, He Worked As A Dishwasher, In A Speakeasy, Another Soon-To-Be Famous Employee Named <span style="font-style: italic;">Malcolm Little</span>, Worked There With Him. Malcolm Little Would Later Become, <span style="font-style: italic;">Malcolm X.</span>Little, Who Grew Up In Michigan, Was Known As "<span style="font-style: italic;">Detroit Red</span>." Foxx Was Known As "<span style="font-style: italic;">Chicago Red</span>," Due To His Reddish Complexion.
Foxx Took His Eventual Stage Name From Baseball Player, <span style="font-style: italic;">Jimmie Foxx</span>. During The Late 1947 - 1951 He Teamed Up With Comedian, <span style="font-style: italic;">Slappy White,</span> Working Nightclubs.
He Went Solo During The 1950's. Foxx Became Famous For The Adult Content In His Comedy Routines. The Raunchy Humor From His Stage Performances Also Became The Trademark For More Than 50 "Party Album" Recordings.
He Paved The Way For Comics, <span style="font-style: italic;">Richard Pryor</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Eddie Murphy</span> And <span style="font-style: italic;">Chris Rock</span>.
A Small Role In The <span style="font-style: italic;">Ossie Davis</span> Film, <span style="font-style: italic;">Cotton Comes To Harlem</span>, Landed Foxx The Role Of Junk Man, <span style="font-style: italic;">Fred G. Sanford</span>, On The 1970's NBC Sitcom, <span style="font-style: italic;">Sanford And Son</span>. Foxx Used His Star Power To Employ Friends Slappy White (<span style="font-style: italic;">Melvin</span>), LaWanda Page (<span style="font-style: italic;">Aunt Esther</span>), And Pat Morita (<span style="font-style: italic;">Ah-Chew</span>), As Part Of The Show's Ensemble Cast.
<i>Sanford And Son</i> Ended In 1977. Foxx Filed Banruptcy In 1983. The IRS Claimed He Owed $3 Million And Seized Most Of His Property, Including His Home In Las Vegas.
Foxx Appeared In The <span style="font-style: italic;">Film Harlem Nights</span>, With Richard Pryor And Eddie Murphy, He Also Attempted A Few TV Comebacks With The Shows, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour</span> (1977-78), <span style="font-style: italic;">Sanford</span> (1980-81), <span style="font-style: italic;">The Redd Foxx Show</span> (1986) And <span style="font-style: italic;">The Royal Family</span> (1991). He Die
R<b>edd Foxx</b>, Died On October 11, 1991, On The Set Of <i>The Royal Family</i></span>.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hlS7nkHt5w"><b>CLICK HERE To See A Classic Clip From <i>Sandford & Son</i></b></a>
"<span style="font-style: italic;">In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It</span>." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.