Ron White

For other uses, see Ron White (disambiguation).

Ron White
Comedian Ron White
Born	December 19, 1956 (1956-12-19) Fritch, Texas, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up
Nationality	American
Years active	1987–present
Genres	Country comedy, observational comedy, satire
Influences	Jeff Foxworthy, George Carlin, Bill Hicks, Sam Kinison, Cheech & Chong
Spouse	Lori Brice (1991-1999) 1 child Barbara Dobbs (2004-2008) Margo Rey (?-present)
Notable works and roles	Ron White: You Can't Fix Stupid Ron White: They Call Me Tater Salad Ron White: Behavioral Problems Blue Collar Comedy Tour
Website	http://www.tatersalad.com
Grammy Awards
“Comedy” for You Can't Fix Stupid (Nominee) (Best Comedy Album)

Ronald "Ron" White (born December 19, 1956) is an American stand up comedian and satirist who has had two Grammy Award-nominations, and is RIAA certified 10x Platinum for CD and DVD sales of over 10 million units. He is a charter member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and authored the book I Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't Have the Ability (Dutton 2006, ISBN 978-0525949619), which appeared on the New York Times best seller list. White is well-known for his famous punchline, "...You can't fix stupid."

Early life

Ron White was born in Fritch, Texas on December 18, 1956. Not much is known about Ron White's childhood, other than the fact that in 1961 he was living in Houston (he mentions living there during Hurricane Carla). He has mentioned in a few shows that he lived with his grandmother and that he has a brother and a sister. His sister is Shea White . Shea is a former Amarillo, TX radio personality, turned author. She was born September 10, 1977. Ron was 21 when she was born, and kept her, in his words, "at arm's length" for many years. They share the same father, Charles Don White. Ron served in the United States Navy where he was given the nickname "Tater Salad" by fellow sailors who teased White for his love of potato salad. White is an avid fisherman and has always loved fishing as a hobby, but from an early age his dream was to become a comedian. When he returned from the Navy, White struggled financially for years as he pursued this dream, going from gig to gig in a beat-up Nissan truck and selling windows to help make ends meet. He has been rumored to have also pursued a career as a bronco rider for several years in the early 80's, however, responding to a question by Dana Strode on July 28, 2011 at the Coeur d'Alene Casino at Worley, Idaho, White said he has never ridden a bronco. White lived in Mexico for a brief period and bought a pottery factory there before returning to America to pursue comedy. White included stories from his youth in his book I Had the Right to Remain Silent But I Didn't Have the Ability. White's comedy revolves around observations and personal experiences retold in his smoking, drinking, Southern United States persona.

Career

Ron White found success during January 2000 through March 2003, when he with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour – a show that sold out across the United States in over 90 cities and grossed over $15 million. White is the only member of the Blue Collar crew who did not go on to star in the Blue Collar TV series because he did not want to be typecast as "blue collar," although he jokes in his performances that he simply does not have "the work ethic for a television show". He did, however, make seven guest appearances on the show. In 2005, The WB Television Network aired the pilot for The Ron White Show, a variety show that combined a number of celebrity cameos, cartoons, and sketches. He recently taped several episodes of The Gong Show with Dave Attell as one of the celebrity judges. White has had appearances in the TV shows Kath & Kim, Reno 911!, 12 Miles of Bad Road, the films Sex and the City 2 and Horrible Bosses, and a cameo in a Rascal Flatts music video, "Why Wait".

White is best known for drinking Scotch as part of his act. (Though it has not been confirmed, it is believed he prefers Johnny Walker Blue Label.) He stated during his You Can't Fix Stupid show, "Somebody asked what I was drinking. If the company that made the stuff I was drinking was paying me, I'd have it in their bottle and not mine. But it's the kind of scotch that people drink that are going to die penniless. It's good though!" In 2009 Comedy Central released Ron's stand up DVD Behavioral Problems.

Personal life

White has been married three times. He married his first wife, Lori Brice in 1991. They divorced in 1999. They have a son, Marshall (who White nicknames Tater Tot in his comedy shows). In June 2004, he married Barbara Dobbs, who was Jeff Foxworthy's interior designer; they divorced in 2008. He is currently married to singer-songwriter Margo Rey, sister of his frequent touring opener, Alex Reymundo.

Ron White has partnered with producer Michael Blakey to form Organica Music Group (distributed by Universal Music Group), a label that will promote both emerging and established musicians and comedians. He will be releasing all his future DVDs and CDs through Organica Music Group.

Marijuana arrest

Mugshot of Ron White.

On September 7, 2008, White was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after an anonymous tip informed Vero Beach, Florida police that White’s private plane would be carrying narcotics. This tip likely came from a disgruntled pilot who had been recently fired by White. White had allegedly been involved in an altercation with the flight crew on his private plane involving his use of marijuana during flights. White was found to be in possession of 7/8 of a gram of marijuana. He spoke of the incident in his special 'Behavioral Problems', saying "when I have 7/8 of a gram of marijuana I consider myself to be...out of marijuana." He was reportedly very cooperative with Florida police. Ron White has a valid medicinal marijuana license from California.

Awards and recognition

April 27, 2009 was designated as "Ron White Day" in the State of Texas by Texas legislative officials. White received the Armed Forces Foundation's "Patriot Award" in March 2009 for his work in raising money to help wounded soldiers. White also held benefit shows for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Comedy releases

Besides the Blue Collar Comedy Tour CDs and movies, White has released five solo projects to date:

• Tater Salad aka. Busted in Des Moines
• Drunk in Public
• They Call Me "Tater Salad"
• You Can't Fix Stupid
• Ron White: Behavioral Problems

He has appeared on the following compilation albums:

• Redneck Comedy Roundup (2005)
• Comedy Central Presents Southern Gents of Comedy (2006)
• Ron White, Jeff Foxworthy & Bill Engvall: Live from Las Vegas (2004)
• Redneck Kings of Comedy (2005)

Discography

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions				Certifications (sales threshold)
		US Comedy	US Country	US	US Heat
Tater Salad aka. Busted in Des Moines	Release date: 1990 Label: Laughing Hyena	—	—	—	—
Truckstop Comedy	Release date: 1994 Label: Laughing Hyena	—	—	—	—
Drunk in Public	Release date: November 3, 2003 Label: Hip-O Records	2	11	83	2	US: Gold
You Can't Fix Stupid	Release date: February 7, 2006 Label: Image Entertainment	1	2	14	—
Behavioral Problems	Release date: April 21, 2009 Label: Capitol Records	1	13	51	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

External links

• Ron White's official site
• Ron White at the Internet Movie Database
• Ron White on Myspace
• Organica Music Group, Ron White and Michael Blakey's record label