Tom Dreesen

Tom Dreesen

Tom Dreesen (born September 11, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian.

Dreesen grew up in Harvey, Illinois, south of Chicago. His family was one of the few white families in a largely African American community.Kathy O'Malley. "Crazy white boy; Tom Dreesen does comedy about blacks in black clubs". "Chicago Tribune". November 5, 1989. 5.] While working as an insurance salesman in 1968, he met Tim Reid through a local Jaycee chapter,cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94850365 |title=Tim & Tom: A 'Black And White' Comedy Duo |accessdate=2008-09-28 |publisher=NPR] and the two teamed up to form the first biracial stand-up comedy duo in the United States. Though their material is now considered cutting-edge for its time, the pair struggled to make a living together, and split up in the mid-1970s. However, each found individual success: while Reid landed a role on "WKRP in Cincinnati", Dreesen became a regular on "The Tonight Show" [Michael Miner. " [http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/hottype/080904/ A Pioneering Flop] ". "Chicago Reader". September 4, 2008. Retrieved on September 17, 2008.] and toured with Frank Sinatra as the crooner's opening act. In 1989, Dreesen released a comedy album through Flying Fish Records called "That White Boy's Crazy". The album was recorded in front of an all-black audience in Harvey, Illinois.

Dreesen continues to perform today. He is also involved in philanthropic endeavors and hosts an annual celebrity golf tournament called the Tom Dreesen Celebrity Classic. [Len Ziehm. "Dreesen keeps celebs coming back for more". "Chicago Sun-Times". August 13, 2007. 76.] In 2008, Dreesen, Reid, and former "Chicago Sun-Times" sportswriter Ron Rapoport completed the book "Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White". [Mike Thomas. "Soul Brothers - Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen recall their racially charged comedy act". "Chicago Sun-Times". September 14, 2008. D8.]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.tomdreesen.com/index.php Tom Dreesen's official site]
* [http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/10/02/tim.and.tom/index.html?iref=mpstoryview 'WKRP' vet Reid, standup Dreesen's previous life]


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