If there ever was an undisputed King of Comedy, it was Richard Pryor. Every comedian from Eddie Murphy to Dave Chappelle cites him as a seminal influence, and his raw and riveting stand-up sets are still the stuff of legend.
But if you’ve never seen or heard those iconic live performances, and perhaps only know Pryor from, say, his buddy movies with Gene Wilder (shout out to Stir Crazy), or misfires like The Toy or Brewster’s Millions, it’s unlikely you’ve experienced Pryor in all his comedic glory.
In honor of what would have been Pryor’s 75th birthday on December 1st, his classic Warner Bros. comedy albums have been released digitally for the first time. That’s right, everything from 1974’s That Nigger’s Crazy to 1983’s Here and Now are available for digital download and on streaming services including Spotify and YouTube.
Whet your appetite with Pryor’s bit on the nature of love from his landmark 1982 album, Live On The Sunset Strip, and bone up on other essential Pryor albums listed below.
That Nigger’s Crazy (1974)
…Is It Something I Said?(1975)
Bicentennial Nigger (1976)
Wanted/Richard Pryor – Live In Concert(1978)
Live On The Sunset Strip (1982)
Here And Now (1983)
The Warner Bros. Albums(1974-1983)
Richard Pryor – The Anthology: 1968-1992
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