Rudy Ray Moore

Rudolph Frank Moore (March 17, 1927 – October 19, 2008), known as Rudy Ray Moore, was an American comedian, singer, actor, and filmmaker. He created the character Dolemite, the pimp from the 1975 film Dolemite and its sequels, The Human Tornado and The Return of Dolemite (2002). The persona was developed during his early comedy records. The recordings often featured Moore delivering profanity-filled rhyming poetry, which later earned him the nickname the "Godfather of Rap". Eddie Murphy portrayed Moore in the 2019 Golden Globe-nominated biopic Dolemite Is My Name.

Early life Moore was born and raised in the Johnson House on 1400 North 12th Street in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and eventually moved to Akron, Ohio, and then Milwaukee. In Milwaukee, he preached in churches and worked as a nightclub dancer. He returned to Akron, working in clubs as a singer, dancer, and comedian, often appearing in character as Prince DuMarr. He joined the US Army and served in an entertainment unit in Germany, where he was nicknamed the Harlem Hillbilly for singing country songs in an R&B style.

After his honorable discharge he lived in Seattle and then Los Angeles, where he continued to work in clubs and was discovered by record producer Dootsie Williams.

Career Dolemite records and wider acclaim By his own account, Moore was working at the world famous Dolphin's of Hollywood record store in Los Angeles in 1970 when he began hearing obscene stories of "Dolemite" recounted by a local man named Rico. Moore recorded a number of street poets, including Big Brown who, before he moved to Los Angeles, had been an influence on Bob Dylan, among other artists, while living in Greenwich Village. (Dylan said Brown's poetry was the best poetry he had ever heard.) In 1973, Moore produced Brown's album, The First Man of Poetry, Big Brown: Between Heaven and Hell.

According to Moore, the genesis for his decision to develop the "Dolemite" character came when he invited Rico into Dolphin's, where he let him perform:

Moore began recording the stories, and assumed the role of "Dolemite" in his club act and on recordings. In 1970–71 he recorded three albums of material, Eat Out More Often, This Pussy Belongs To Me, and The Dirty Dozens, where "with jazz and R&B musicians playing in the background, [Moore] would recite raunchy, sexually explicit rhymes that often had to do with pimps, prostitutes, players, and hustlers."

Moore was influenced by more mainstream comedians such as Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, as well as by traditions such as the Dozens. The recordings were usually made in Moore's apartment, with friends in attendance to give a party atmosphere. The album covers and contents were often too racy to be put on display in record stores, and Eric B. & Rakim's music video for "In The Ghetto". Four years later, he appeared on Method Man's album Tical 2 Live Crew attributed their use of obscenity-laden lyrics to Moore's act. he reprised the Dolemite character for the intro of Busta Rhymes' album When Disaster Strikes... Snoop Dogg's 1999 album No Limit Top Dogg, and Ol' Dirty Bastard‘s 1999 music video "Got Your Money“, in which the rapper was digitally inserted into scenes of Dolemite. He again reprised Dolemite in the 2000 film Big Money Hustlas, a film created by and starring the rap-rock group Insane Clown Posse. In 2001, Moore was a featured guest in the intro of Busta Rhymes' album Genesis. Moore reprised the character Petey Wheatstraw on the 2008 song "I Live for the Funk", which featured Blowfly and Daniel Jordan. It marked the first time Blowfly and Moore collaborated on the same record together, as well as the 30-year anniversary of the movie Petey Wheatstraw; it was also the final recording Moore made before his death.

Personal life and death Moore never married. His long-time manager, Donald Randell , and entertainer Stanton Z. LaVey, a friend of Moore's, said in 2019 that Moore was "very much bisexual, if not gay", and that his Dolemite persona helped cover it up.

On October 19, 2008, Moore died in Rittman, Ohio, near Akron, of complications from diabetes. Later that month, the rest of the principal cast was announced. In July 2018, Chris Rock and Ron Cephas Jones joined the cast. Principal photography began on June 12, 2018. In August 2019, the trailer was released. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019, and received a limited release on October 4, 2019, before digital streaming on October 25, 2019. At the 77th Golden Globe Awards, the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Murphy was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

In January 2022, a detailed biography, Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself: The Authorized Biography of Rudy Ray Moore aka Dolemite by Mark Jason Murray, was released.

Discography Albums Comedy Below the Belt (1959) Beatnik Scene (1962) A Comedian Is Born (1964) Let's Come Together (1970, recorded 1967) Eat Out More Often (1970) (Kent KST 001) This Pussy Belongs to Me (1971) (Kent KST 002) – with "The Signifying Monkee" Dolemite for President (1972) Merry Christmas, Baby The Cockpit – with "Petey Wheatstraw – The Devil's Son-in-Law" Return of Dolemite (featuring The Grunts & Groans of Love) The Sensuous Black Man – by "The Prince" Zodiac I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing Jokes by Redd Foxx Live in Concert The Player—The Hustler House Party: Dirty Dozens Vol. 1 The Streaker Dolemite Is Another Crazy Nigger Sweet Peeter Jeeter Close Encounter of the Sex Kind Good-Ole Big Ones Hip-Shakin' Papa Greatest Hits (1995) This Ain't No White Christmas Raw, Rude, and Real—More Greatest Hits Phantom Surfers – XXX Party (2000) 21st-Century Dolemite (2002) Genius of Rudy Ray Moore Dolemite for President — Special Edition (2008) 50 Years of Cussing (2009) 50 Years of Cussing, Vol. 2 (2019)

Music The Turning Point (1972) Hully Gully Fever (2000; compilation)

Singles "Step It Up and Go" (King Records) "Below the Belt" (Dooto) "The Roosevelt" (Dooto) "Let's Come Together" "My Soul" – The Seniors (Ball 001) "Rally in the Valley" (Vermont 105-45) "Hully Gully Papa" (Case Records 1006)

Filmography