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Artist
Sam Kinison
12+ albums
comedystand-upstand-up comedyspoken wordAll
about
Samuel "Sam" Burl Kinison (December 8, 1953 – April 10, 1992) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was famous for his raunchy humor and wild, colorful outfits. A former revival-style preacher, his standup routines were most often characterized by intense, angry ranting punctuated by a trademark primal scream. Kinison was born in Yakima, Washington, and originally became a preacher. Upon obtaining a divorce from his wife, he was forced to leave preaching. However, his background as a preacher proved to be highly influential upon his new career as a comic. This was particularly evident in the near-fire and brimstone style of screaming used in his routines. Shortly before his death he took to the pulpit one last time. Kinison's appearance on Late Night with David Letterman on November 14, 1985 is widely considered to be his breakthrough performance. Letterman's introduction of Kinison would prove to be prescient: "Brace yourselves. I'm not kidding. Sam Kinison." Kinison might be considered a "rock and roll comedian" since he occasionally was accompanied by a touring band, as well as having a prodigious appetite for drugs and alcohol. In 1988, he had a hit song with his novelty version of the Troggs' "Wild Thing." The video for his version of "Wild Thing" played like a who's who of rock artists, from bad boy Billy Idol, and rock guitar god Steve Vai, to guitar god Frank Zappa's son Dweezil Zappa, and a raunchy "roll on the mat" dance with Jessica Hahn. Sam hammered
