Ron White (Photo: Stiefel Theatre)
A top touring comedian is returning to the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts in Downtown Salina.
Ron “Tater Salad” White will perform for the third time at the Stiefel on Friday, May 6th at 7 p.m. White previously performed at the Stiefel Theatre in 2008 and 2011. Tickets will go on sale for this performance at 9 a.m. this Friday, February 26th.
White first rose to fame as the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour phenomenon, but now as a chart-topping Grammy-nominated comedian and a feature film actor, Ron White has established himself as a star in his own right. White has always been a classic storyteller. His stories relay tales from his real life, ranging from growing up in a small town in Texas to sharing stories of his daily life to becoming one of the most successful comedians in America. All 4 of his comedy albums charted #1 on the Billboard Comedy Charts. He has sold over 14 million albums (solo and with the Blue Collar Comedy Tour), been nominated for two Grammys, and over the past 9 years (since 2004) been one of the top three grossing stand-up comedians on tour in America.
Ron White began performing comedy in 1986 and was quickly opening for legendary comedians Sam Kinison and Jeff Foxworthy. After eventually becoming a comedy club headliner, in 2000, White was asked to join the Blue Collar Comedy Tour alongside Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy. The show toured for over three years to sold-out audiences in over 270 cities and grossed more than $35 million. In 2003, Warner Brothers filmed the show, Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie for a theatrical/TV/DVD/CD release. The film premiered as the most-watched movie in Comedy Central’s history. In 2005, the video Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again was filmed and released on TV and DVD/CD.
In November of 2003, White released his breakthrough comedy CD Drunk In Public followed by his first one hour TV comedy special They Call Me Tater Salad. The special had the highest viewership for aSunday program in Comedy Central history. The DVD version was released in 2004 and reached #1 on the BillboardTM Comedy Chart. In 2005, White’s second one-hour special You Can’t Fix Stupid aired on Comedy Central to 4.5 million viewers, making it the third largest audience in Comedy Central’s history and the #1 show on primetime basic cable. The CD reached #1 on the BillboardTM Comedy Charts and remained there for 9 consecutive weeks. This success also earned White his first Grammy nomination. Ron received his second Grammy nod for the show Blue Collar Comedy Tour – One for The Road. In June 2006, Penguin Books released Ron’s first book Ron “Tater Salad” White: I Had the Right to Remain Silent…But I Didn’t Have the Ability, which landed him on the New York Times Best Seller List. In 2009, Ron released his 3rd album Behavioral Problems, which reached #1 on the BillboardTM Comedy Chart. In 2013 Ron’s 4th album, A Little Unprofessional, also reached #1 on the Billboard Comedy Chart. All of Ron’s DVDs are certified Platinum.
Ron White has been a passionate supporter of the US military troops for more than 20 years, donating his time and resources. In 2008, he created an annual charity show Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops. The profit from ticket/DVD sales is donated to the Armed Forces Foundation to assist troops and their families. Many of White’s celebrity friends have participated in these shows: Lewis Black, Dave Attell, Kathleen Madigan, Brian Regan and Rascal Flatts. In 2011, the show was recorded for TV/DVD and was the second highest-watched show on CMT that year. The taping location that year and the next was the historic Grand Ole Opry. In 2013 the show was recorded in Las Vegas and premiered March 2013.
As an actor, Ron White had supporting roles acted in the major theatrical films Horrible Bosses and Sex and the City 2. He also had a principal role in Jayne Mansfield’s Car (written/directed by Billy Bob Thornton). He is a co-Executive Producer of Bridegroom, a Linda Bloodworth–Thomason documentary, which debuted at the 2013 NYC Tribeca Film Festival and won the Audience Award.
Tickets for the show, which start at $49, are available at the Stiefel Theatre office at 151 S. Santa Fe, by phone at 785-827-1998, or online at ticketmaster.com.
