Larry the Cable Guy

American stand-up comedian (born 1963)

Daniel Lawrence "Larry" Whitney (born February 17, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, musician.[2] He is best known by his stage name and character Larry the Cable Guy.

Larry the Cable Guy
Whitney on June 10, 2007
Birth nameDaniel Lawrence Whitney
Born (1963-02-17) February 17, 1963 (age 61)
Pawnee City, Nebraska, U.S.
MediumStand-up
Television
Film
Radio
Books
NationalityAmerican
Years active1991–present
GenresCharacter comedy, redneck comedy, country comedy, observational comedy, satire
Subject(s)Culture of the Southern United States, obesity, human sexuality, political correctness, self-deprecation, family, personal hygiene
InfluencesSteve Martin,[1] Don Rickles,[1] Milton Berle,[1] Henny Youngman,[1] Jeff Foxworthy, Charlie Callas
InfluencedBilly the Bass Man
SpouseCara Whitney (2005–present; 2 children)
Notable works and rolesBlue Collar Comedy Tour
Larry McCoy in Delta Farce
Himself in Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
Larry in Witless Protection
Mater in Cars and Cars 2
WebsiteOfficial site

He is one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. This is a group of comedians. The other members of the Tour are Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy.

Whitney has made seven comedy albums. Three of these have been listed as gold albums by the RIAA. He has been in three Blue Collar Comedy Tour movies. Whitney has also been in the movies Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Delta Farce, and Witless Protection. He is well known as the voice of Mater in the Cars movies. Whitney's catchphrase "Git-R-Done!" is also the name of his book.

On January 26, 2010, the television channel History said that it wanted to make a series with Whitney. It is called Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy. In this series, Whitney would explore the United States. He would learn about different ways people lived. He would also learn about their jobs and hobbies.[3] The first episode of the series aired on February 8, 2011.[4]

Early life change

A CMT bio says that Whitney grew up on a pig farm in Pawnee City, Nebraska.[5] He went to college at the Baptist University of America.[6] He says his roommates from Texas and Georgia helped him create his imitation Southern accent.[7] He left college after his third year to be a comedian.[7]

Career change

Radio career change

Whitney started his career in radio. He was a disc jockey in Blue Springs, Missouri. He became known in the early 1990s when he made regular radio appearances by telephone on many radio programs. These included programs in Omaha, Nebraska, Baltimore, Maryland, Kansas City, Missouri, Orlando, Florida, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Manchester, New Hampshire

Stand-up career change

He became famous for creating the "Larry" character. It is a personality that he now uses for his entire stage act. The Larry character has a stereotypical redneck appearance and a thick Southern accent. He tells stories about his fictional "family". He is well known for his catchphrase "Git-R-Done!" A large part of Whitney's act is his accent. He says in interviews and in his autobiographical book GIT-R-DONE that he uses the accent both on and off stage. He does this because he may forget it if he kept his normal accent.[8] He uses catchphrase humor, including "Git-R-Done," "Lord, I apologize, and me with the starvin' Pygmies down there in New Guinea. Amen." and "I don't care who ya are, that's funny right there" after certain jokes.

His first two comedy albums, Lord, I Apologize (2001), and The Right To Bare Arms (2005), have both been certified gold by the RIAA. A third album, Morning Constitutions was released in 2007.

Other work change

In 2006, Comedy Central asked Whitney to be the voice of character for an animated series they wanted to create. The series would use his character as one of two owners of a small cable channel. A half-hour pilot was made but not broadcast.[9]

Whitney was roasted in a Comedy Central special on March 15, 2009.[10] During the roast he can be heard talking to people using his normal voice. On Tuesday, February 8, 2011 his series, "Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy", began being broadcast on the History Channel. You Know you're a redneck when you're drinkin sasparilla out of ya cowboy hat!!!! YEEHAWW!!!![11]

Personal life change

Whitney lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. He married his wife Cara in 2005. They have two children together. They have a son, Wyatt (born August 2006), and a daughter, Reagan (born October 2007). In 2010, Whitney and his wife said that their son Wyatt has hip dysplasia.[12]

In the town where he grew up, Pawnee City, Nebraska, there is a street named after him. Whitney also gave money to buy new theatrical equipment for the high school.[13]

Discography change

Title Released Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US Comedy US Country US
Lord, I Apologize October 30, 2001 1 53
A Very Larry Christmas November 16, 2004 1 8 43 US: Gold
The Right to Bare Arms March 29, 2005 1 1 7 US: Gold
Morning Constitutions April 3, 2007 1 5 16
Christmastime in Larryland October 3, 2007 1 12 42
On the Can July 21, 2009 7 50
Tailgate Party September 22, 2009 1 19 71
The Best of Larry the Cable Guy November 16, 2010 4 72
"—" shows releases that did not chart

Movies and television change

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Biography for Larry the Cable Guy on IMDb
  2. "New York Times". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  3. "History orders Larry the Cable Guy series". Reuters. Jan 26, 2010. Archived from the original on 2015-11-05. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  4. "Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy – episodes". History Channel.
  5. "Cmt.com". Cmt.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  6. Curtis, Bryan (November 2, 2005). "America's favorite redneck. By Bryan Curtis". Slate.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Guffaw Guys". The Washington Post. September 5, 2004. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  8. An Interview with Larry the Cable Guy, Dead-Frog.com, June 15, 2005
  9. "Basic Cable Guy: Pilot At Comedy Central – Network Has Ordered Half-Hour Animated TV Show Starring 'Blue Collar' Comedian" Archived 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine, HollywoodReporter.com, December 13, 2006
  10. "Comedy Central To Rip More Than Flannel Sleeves – Network To Roast Larry The Cable Guy". Comedycentral.com. May 26, 2011. Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  11. "'Only In America with Larry the Cable Guy' Premieres to 4.1 Million Viewers; 'Top Shot' S2 Premieres to 2.8 Million". 9 February 2011.[permanent dead link]
  12. Donaldson, Catherine (October 1, 2010). "Tiny Son of 'Larry the Cable Guy' Battled Hip Disorder". Aolhealth.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  13. Jeff Korbelik / Gzo (July 3, 2009). "Larry the Cable Guy still has hometown pride". Journalstar.com. Retrieved June 9, 2011.

Other websites change