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Rudy Ray Moore, The Godfather of Rap, Pioneering Independent Film and Recording Auteur, X-rated Comedian, and Creator of The Cult Phenomenon Dolemite, is Dead at 81.

The entertainment maverick died in Ohio of complications from diabetes. According to a spokesman for his longtime collaborator and distributor, Xenon Pictures, he was in declining health over the last several years, suffering a stroke in 2006, along with chronic diabetes and kidney problems. Moore remained unstoppable until the end, and was seen just a few months ago in Las Vegas playing poker on his motorized scooter and more recently, calling Xenon and asking for a cab to pick him up when he “busts outta the [retirement home]”. He is survived by his four siblings, daughter Rusty, and his 98 -year-old mother Lucille.

Rudy Ray Moore is a classic symbol of cool, whose appeal defies racial, generational and national boundaries. His likeness is instantly recognized by iconoclasts of all ages. A virtual pioneer of the D.I.Y. ethic, Moore produced and distributed his own records and movies outside the system for over 50 years. This freedom allowed him to present his uniquely hilarious, X-rated vision of the world, which continues to be a strong influence on contemporary filmmakers, comedians and musicians. Fans of comedy, hip hop, punk rock, and independent film consider him a hero and a spokesperson for the independent spirit. His creative vision and hilarious persona, tested over decades, remains timeless and accessible to anyone with a wild sense of humor, regardless of ethnicity.

Filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and John Landis, hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg and film star Eddie Murphy cite Moore a major creative influence. His movies and records have been sampled dozens of times by a myriad of hip-hop stars, including Dr. Dre (on the chart-busting The Chronic), N.W.A., the Beastie Boys, Too Short, Busta Rhymes and Bones Thugs-n-Harmony. His debut film, Dolemite (1975), was recently declared “the Citizen Kane of blaxploitation” by The New York Times. Today trailers and clips of Moore’s films garner tens of thousands of hits on YouTube.com and on music download sites. His films and live performances, once attended by exclusively African American audiences, more recently attracted sell-out crowds often made up of 18 – 34-year-old Caucasians. At a sold-out 2007 event, young Goth girls asked him to autograph their breasts. Moore’s cult status even extends into Asia, and he was featured in a Hong Kong film in the 1990s.

Rudy Ray Moore was the oldest of seven children, born March 17, 1927 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The family moved to Cleveland when Moore was 15, and it was there, after seeing a local talent contest, that he decided to become an entertainer. Moore developed his singing ability in church, and began making the rounds of night clubs and talent shows as a rhythm and blues vocalist in the 1950s. Racism, coupled with heavy competition from white performers of the day such as Pat Boone, made it almost impossible for him to break into the mainstream.

But rejection always drove Moore to new heights of ingenuity and resourcefulness. He eventually reinvented himself as a comedian, producing some of the most influential comedy records of all time. He left Cleveland for Los Angeles in the early 1960s and worked at the legendary Dolphin’s of Hollywood record store as a DJ on the store’s in-house radio station, and as an MC at the famed California Club. It was there that he honed his chops and molded what would become his trademark comedy material. Moore built his reputation on the road playing the “Chitlin’ Circuit”, a series of venues located in the eastern and southern U.S., established during the age of segregation that featured African American performers. It was during this period that he worked with comedienne LaWanda Page, who later found fame in the 1970s through her role as Aunt Esther on “Sanford and Son”. Their close friendship would endure until her death in 2002. His other colleagues on the circuit included comedian Jimmy Lynch and the team of Leroy & Skillet. Lynch, in particular, had a close working relationship with Moore, as his opening act, film costar, bandleader and closest friend for more than forty years.

Rejected by the major labels, Moore recorded and pressed his first “party records”, Below the Belt (1959) and The Beatnik Scene (1962), among others, which featured the first expletive-filled, “adults only” humor to fall on the public’s ears. These groundbreaking recordings opened doors for the likes of Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx, and inspired a whole new generation of comedians like Eddie Griffin, the late Sam Kinison, and Eddie Murphy. Moore and his collaborators drove through big-city and small-town streets with their car trunks stocked with his albums as they toured tirelessly from one side of the country to the other. These grassroots marketing campaigns proved to be quite successful and opened the doors to future success. His two 1970 releases, Eat Out More Often and This Pussy Belongs to Me, charted concurrently on the Billboard R&B Top 50, a record industry first.

One of Moore’s best-known monikers (along with “King of the Party Records” and “High Sheriff of Hell”) is the well-deserved “Godfather of Rap”. His party records feature what Moore called “toasts”—rhyming, over-the-top folk tales like “The Signifying Monkey” and “Shine and the Great Titanic”—which were recited against a musical background, creating some of the first rap records ever made. Moore kicked down the door for every rapper today, making him an object of reverence for younger artists. Snoop Dogg once said, “If he wasn’t here there wouldn’t be no rap community…we should cherish every moment we spend with Rudy Ray Moore”; Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony concurred: “We can’t get away from him because he is our roots.” Most of Moore’s comedy and music recordings have been reissued on CD and are currently available.

As seminal as his records are, Moore’s true influence can be seen in his movies, which are prime examples of the “blaxploitation” genre. By the early 1970s, Moore was no longer content with being a successful comedian and decided to seek film stardom. Using the profits from his album sales, he produced his first film, Dolemite, in 1974. He said of that time, “I would never have got on the screen unless I put myself on it”. Always ahead of the curve, Moore knew what the public wanted years before of the film industry did. Dolemite presented audiences with an empowered and fearless black action hero, irresistible to woman and a scourge to the enemies of his people. Said Moore: “’Stead of them kickin’ me in the ass, I’m kickin’ them in the ass.” Dolemite was a success, grossing $5,200,000 (modern equivalent: $26,000,000) in its first three months. Writer Daniel Robert Epstein in an interview on SuicideGirls.com summed up the significance of the film: “‘Rudy Ray Moore is Dolemite.’ When these five words came across movie screens back in 1975, they made history. Film history, black history, everyone’s history!”

Among the many highlights of the film are Moore’s outrageous insults (such as the infamous classic: “you born-insecure, rat-soup-eatin’ motherf**ker”) that have appeared as samples on records by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and N.W.A; and his eye-popping fashion sense that gave birth to the “pimp chic” look. Screenings of Dolemite today continue to sell out in places like Montreal and Seattle. Xenon Pictures has sold over one million units since the company’s inception. In fact, some video-store owners admitted having to constantly reorder Dolemite because it is their most stolen title. Moore’s follow-up films, The Human Tornado, Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son-in-Law and Disco Godfather, are also heralded as classics of the genre. These films introduced audiences to actor Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) and singer James Ingram, and gave actor/director Bill Duke (Predator, “Lost”) his first job in the film industry, working as a grip. According to actor/rapper Ice-T, “These are some of the maddest films of all time—as a black actor, he’s the greatest.” As further proof of the enduring impact of these films, director Quentin Tarantino chose The Human Tornado for screening at his 2007 Grindhouse Festival in Los Angeles, while “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno regularly uses clips from the film on his show. In addition to his own productions, Moore has appeared in such films as Monkey Hu$tle (1976), Penitentiary 2 (1982), Fakin’ Da Funk (1997), B*A*P*S (1997), Jackie’s Back! (1999), Shoe Shine Boys (2000), Big Money Hustla$ (2000), and It Came from Trafalgar (2008).

Moore’s audacity and ambition, on both a business and a creative level, earned him an ever-expanding audience over the decades, and a presence in both mainstream and underground culture. His image was used on billboards and in magazine ads for Altoids (“DOLEMINT”), while he was also name-checked by the likes of Wu-Tang Clan. His sold-out shows attracted youthful crowds that enthusiastically adore his bold humor, lining up at his appearances for his merchandise and autograph. Dozens of websites, often selling merchandise with bootlegged images, are dedicated exclusively to Moore. His films are among Xenon Pictures’ bestselling titles, and the current explosion of interest in exploitation cinema, evidenced by the 2007 Tarantino/Rodriguez release Grindhouse, pushed Moore farther into the spotlight. However, success never meant selling out. Xenon Pictures worked with Miramax in 2001 to offer him sizable deal, but Moore refused it because he would not “bow down to the man”. He did, however, make a comeback film, The Dolemite Explosion, featuring his longtime collaborators Jerry Jones and Jimmy Lynch.

Wherever there was a venue that wanted him, Rudy Ray Moore was there. His 80th birthday was celebrated at conventions and theaters across the country, with Moore appearing at every one. Tireless, eccentrically visionary, and a true survivor—Rudy Ray Moore was an American original.

Text from ESP Public Relations

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