Nipsey Russell in the Southern Quote

Julius was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1918. He was only three when he performed with a tap dance team called, “The Ragamuffins of Rhythm.” He wasn’t much older when he saw a fellow African-American named Jack Wiggins entertain a crowd by telling jokes in between his tap dance routines. The performer’s clean routine and unaffected accent inspired Julius and gave structure to his dreams.

Julius worked as a carhop during high school, honing his humor while earning big tips by telling jokes to his customers. He was pursuing his education at the University of Cincinnati when duty called. After four years in the U.S. Army, Julius returned to civilian life and his career goals.

By the mid 1950’s Julius “Nipsey” Russell had become a successful stand-up comedian, differentiating himself from the raunchy comedy of many of his peers, when a guest appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show brought him into the national spotlight.

He went on to a successful career in television, movies, and the stage, most notably as the Tin Man in the 1978 film, The Wiz, a role that showcased his talents as a singer, dancer, and actor. But Nipsey is best remembered for the gift of gab that made him a fixture of the game show decades of the seventies and eighties. Nipsey had a popular way with a rhyme born during an exchange with Ed McMahon on the TV show, “Missing Links.” It was 1964. Mr. McMahon spontaneously asked the comedian if he had a poem to close the show. Nipsey did— right off the cuff. The audience loved it and thereafter expected him to have a poem for every occasion.

In today’s southern quote we enjoy the humor of the man known as the “The Poet Laureate of Comedy.” The late Nipsey Russell once said, “The opposite of pro is con. That fact is clearly seen. If progress means move forward, then what does Congress mean?”