By Sonya Hollins, editor
editor@comvoicesonline.com
KALAMAZOO (Mich.)-Being dared tends to push some past their own comfort level and into a zone to prove something. For Damon Williams, that dare was from his friends to take the stage at the famed Chicago Comedy club, All Jokes Aside in 1992. Getting the right amount of laughs in a short time could mean the difference between success and failure, and Williams was destined to succeed.
He did get the laughs he needed, however, the club manager made him wait nearly three weeks before he could get on stage again. The wait was something he had to endure, but his patience would pay off. Today, many know him from his feature performances on such shows as Comedy Central and on the big screen as an opening act for Kings of Comedy.
Williams will bring his hilarious stand-up routine to Kalamazoo on Sunday, Sept. 26 at The Globe, 241 E. Kalamazoo Ave. The event is sponsored by Make It Happen Entertainment, who wants to bring quality adult entertainment to Kalamazoo.
View his UTUBE routine here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gizlCPOYB2o
Order tickets to this event at: http://www.boogie-down-brown.com/
THE ROAD TO STARDOM
As Williams reflects on his life, he is humble. He has “made it” and is working as a mentor with up-and-coming comedians as he said others like DL Hugley and the late Bernie Mac did for him. His goals are to one day, when he is ready to leave the road and big screen, to be a featured performer in Las Vegas.
His road to stardom however, wasn’t always a funny one.
“I didn’t’ complete high school,” said Williams in a phone interview. “I was a good student, but I did dumb stuff, skipped class, didn’t participate. I dropped out and went to alternative school and got diploma.”
Williams then received certification as an EKG technician. After working at clinics, he landed a job in a hospital.
“The first day, the doctor was yelling at me. The nurses said, ‘that’s what doctors do,’ but I didn’t like it. I went to lunch and never came back,” Williams said.
At that point he was 25 years old, had been on his own since age 18. While working in the purchasing department at City Hall in Chicago, he read in a Black Enterprise magazine about the best franchise opportunities for African Americans. He decided to try one, Subway. The sandwich shop was new in the industry and something the residents of Chicago hadn’t yet experienced. In 1990, he put down the $7,500 franchise fee he received from a small business loan and secured a location. He operated the Subway for two years.
“We were competing with local sandwich shops that piled up the meat on sandwiches. Subway had standards as to how much you could put on each sandwich, and it was hard to compete,” Williams said.
His entrepreneurial spirit however, kept him going. It was then he decided to take up a dare and take the stage of the famed Chicago, All Jokes Aside. The club, geared toward African American comedians was located on South Wabash and had help launch the careers of those such as Corey Holcomb, Craig Robinson and DeRay Davis. It was at that time HBO’s Def Comedy Jams was a hit and a platform for African Americans to merge onto the big screen.
HIS BIG SHOT
After Williams won over the crowd at his first stage appearance at All Jokes Aside in 1992, his father introduced him to a relative he had never met, comedian George Wilborne. It was Wilborne who would connect Williams to performances on Comic Justice (a Comedy Central answer to Def Comedy Jam).
From there, Williams spun into success. He would open for those such as Aretha Franklin, Jamie Foxx and many others. He performed on Apollo Comedy Hour and Comic View. He had the opportunity to move to Hollywood in 1996, however decided to remain in Chicago where his first son had recently been born.
“I don’t have many regrets on how my career has gone,” Williams said. “Going to Hollywood at the beginning of my career could have made a difference, but I wanted to have a bond with my son, and to me, family is more important than anything.”
Williams is on the fast-track and is part of the Martin Lawrence “First Amendment” standup comedy tour. While he has yet to meet Lawrence, or his other idol, Eddie Murphy, he feels he is getting closer. He is friends with top comedians such as Tommy Davidson and Chris Rock who he said keeps him connected with career possibilities.
Today, he said he has grown in the business and now that his son is 18, will work towards Hollywood.
Through all his life’s experiences, he said he has learned a lot about the business aspect of comedy.
“I’ve had to be my own promoter, travel agent, manager, everything,” Williams said. “I want to start focusing on producing a TV show, acting in film. I’ve managed my own career for more than 17 years, now it’s time to get an agent.”
