Comedian James Gregory will perform at the Event Center Downtown in Opelika on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 purchased ahead of time or $30 the day of the event, according to the event center's website.
Gregory, who has done comedy since 1982, began his career at a comedy club in Atlanta when he was dared by friends to perform on an amateur night. He has since performed more than 6,000 times, Gregory said.
According to Gregory his first live show was in Birmingham in June 1983.
Gregory said there were three generations of family in the audience of a recent show.
A reporter from The Huntsville Times dubbed Gregory "The Funniest man in America," according to Gregory.
"To be real funny all you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open," Gregory said. He said he gets ideas for his material from anything from news to radio.
His comedy bits are on subjects range from McDonald's McNuggets to miserable Kmart lines.
"It takes you 30 seconds to find what you want and the rest of your life to get through checkout," Gregory said in a video posted on YouTube.
Gregory said one of his favorite topics to talk about during his shows is airplanes, because people love hearing about how he doesn't enjoy flying.
Gregory said aspiring comedians should see if local comedy clubs have an amateur night.
"There's only one way to do it, you need to find the nearest comedy club," Gregory said.
According to Gregory, well-known comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno and David Letterman got their start on amateur nights.
"I think people should laugh more than they laugh," Gregory said.
He said he enjoys "pure comedy" where it is just a comedian talking to the audience with no props or distractions.
Gregory said he appreciates being able to travel the country and meeting people.
"(There is) always some comedy there," said Mark Thompson, Gregory's theater promoter. He described Gregory as a storyteller with a fun mannerism to him.
Thompson and Gregory met in the winter of 1993.
According to Thompson, Billy Gardell who plays Mike in the CBS sitcom "Mike and Molly," looks up to Gregory.
"(He) takes us back to a time where life was simpler" said Lenny Sisselman, Gregory's personal manager.
He said Gregory's shows are about topics people can relate to.
According to Sisselman, even though Gregory has been in the business for decades, he continues to be able to attract crowds to his live shows.
"James Gregory seemed like a great fit," said Lisa Ditchkoff, owner of the Event Center Downtown.
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