Gene Tracy
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Ivan Eugene Morris
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Anadarko, Oklahoma, USA
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Apr 08 1927 - 1979 age ~52
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A comic legend, Gene Tracy was born with not only a funny gene, but also a sincerity and gentleness that didn't go unnoticed by his audience. With his terrific sense of humor and knack of telling funny party jokes, his millions of fans soon dubbed him "Mr. Truck Stop" and "Ol Red Eyes". Whether stand-up comedian, after dinner speaker, evening entertainer, emcee, actor, or carnival promoter, Gene Tracy became the consummate entertainers' entertainer. In the beginning, Ivan Morris (Gene) was a front man for the Paul Miller Carnival called "The Greatest Free Show On Earth". Escaping a tragic relationship with his abusive father, he ran off and joined the circus at an early age. Ivan (Gene) would travel ahead of the caravan, promoting the event by putting radio and newspaper ads on power poles in any given town. One such event changed the direction of his life forever. Following a snowstorm at a fraternal event, the scheduled keynote speaker for the night was forced to cancel at the last minute. Since Ivan (Gene) was already in town, he filled in with some of the stories and "party jokes" that he picked up from drivers at the truck stops he frequented in his travels. In the audience was a radio station owner who booked Ivan (Gene) in a club outside Charlotte, NC. From there he was discovered by a record company executive, signed to a recording contract and given the name Gene Tracy. Today, more than four decades later, Gene's hilarious stories and jokes have sold more than 20 million recordings and his comedic legacy is firmly cemented. Throughout the years, Gene appeared in several movies, including "Movin On". In addition, he found work on radio and television shows such as "Rin-Tin-Tin" and worked many great entertainers like Jackie Cooper, Ann Margaret, Claude Akins, Rex Allen, Pat Buttram, Archie Campbell, Carol Channing, Peggy Lee and many others. Gene Tracy passed away in El Paso, TX in 1979 of a heart attack at just 52 years of age. He is buried in Tampa, Florida in Sunset Memory Gardens (a cemetery for carnival people). He is survived by his only daughter, Michelle, a granddaughter, Tracy Lynn and a grandson, Bobby.
01 Finger Up Your... / The Hitchhiker
02 Gene Autry / Little Boy in Sunday School / Flunked Spelling
03 Dumb Trucker in the Cat House / Two Old Maids / Mexican Hairless Dog
04 Avon Lady / Spanish Fly
05 The Mortician / The Construction Worker
06 Two Dogs / 12 Martinis / The Confessional / A Poem
07 Me and Leroy / Bleedin' to Death
08 Ding-a-Ling / Hurricane Gussy
09 Australian Virgin / Doctor Kiss Me
10 Ice Cream / Piccolo Player / The Crying Cheater
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Standup
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Truck Stop TSD-7
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Thanks LJLLJL!
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His other material on this blog is HERE
The following are WANTED | |||
Truckstop 26 More Live From Charlotte NC
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Back in the early 1970's, me and my buddies used to ride around on Friday and Saturday nights listening to Gene Tracy truckstop tapes on 8-track. We would laugh until we all had tears in our eyes. I loved his "hairlip" jokes, and his trucker jokes. I have found many of his recordings on CD with most of his popular jokes and stories like "The Piccolo Player" and "Hurricane Gussy". There was one story in particular that I remember from those old 8-track tapes that I have not been able to locate, and that is the story about the three Navy men on a submarine. The captain is Jewish, and is holding off firing a torpedo at a fast approaching enemy ship because the torpedos "cost $45,000 a piece". Finally, as the enemy ship is about to fire on the submarine, one of the submarine sailors yells, "fire that motherf**ker, I'll pay for it myself!" If anyone knows which Gene Tracy album that joke was on, please let me know.
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