Corporate Entertainment - Comedian Cledus T. Judd booking information

Cledus T. Judd says his main job during the Neon Circus and Wild West Tour with Brooks and Dunn was to run the dialysis machine on the back of the bus. It's a humorous allusion, of course, to all the partying done on the road by the band of ruffians on tour. But the truth is, Cledus' real job as emcee was to get the audience in a good mood, make them happy, make them laugh. With a combination of between-set standup and performing some of his "recent standards" like "How Do Ya Milk A Cow," "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy," or the perennial favorite, "Did I Shave My Back For This," making people laugh is something Cledus does very well.

Fans are in for a treat, too, because to go along with those "standards," he's got a new collection of songs with which to tickle the world's funny bone-laugh-out-loud songs that could only come from the singular mind of country's King of Comedy. Cledus Envy, his sophomore Monument release, is full of perfect parodies and outrageous originals, written and produced, as usual, with Chris "P. Cream" Clark, and will have you holding your sides, screaming for mercy.

The first single from Cledus Envy is nothing less than a pants-wetting parody of Faith Hill's "Breathe," re-tooled here as "Breath," in which he laments his lover's malodorous mouth. In the video, Judd engages former WWF super-siren Sable, a.k.a. Rena Mero, as the beautiful offender.

"It's a Great Day to Be a Guy," a dead-on warp of the Travis Tritt hit, "It's a Great Day To Be Alive," is self-explanatory. Elsewhere, Cledus pokes fun at Sony label mate Billy Gilman in "My Voice," and the Grammy-winning "Man of Constant Sorrow" turns into "Man of Constant Borrow" in Cledus' world-and that's a world where vocal greats Diamond Rio are the backup singers. It's also a world where the Faith Hill and Tim McGraw smash "Let's Make Love" gets twisted into the rib-tickling "Let's Shoot Dove."

country comedy Phil Vassar joins Cledus in the brilliant and autobiographical "Just Another Day in Parodies," and Cledus rolls Chad Brock's "Yes" into "Half," a sly take on when the connubial joining together plummets into the division of community property. A happily belligerent "Don't Mess With America," a chest-poking parody of Brooks & Dunn's "Only In America" tops off the disc.

Several originals are included here, too: "Willie's Got A Big Deck," brings home the allusion to the album title, while the hilarious, "If George Strait Starts Dancin'" is a jovial jab at the pop leanings of country music, and adds the funniest mental flash to the too country/too pop grousing. "Let's Burn One" is a brilliant and funny-scary commentary on the current download vs. intellectual property rights debate.

And, just as it happens with every other songwriter, some soul-searching times for Cledus brought forth the only serious song he's ever recorded, "Leave You Laughing," co-written with Paul Overstreet. The song's touching message is no doubt the sentiment that every comedian, every class clown, every human who enjoys making other people laugh, will embrace. "We wrote it for me and people like Johnny Russell and Minnie Pearl;" says Cledus, "for everybody that's ever left out of here with a sense of humor. I think if they had their choice, that's the way they'd want to be remembered-leaving people laughing. And I really hope that can be an anthem to people that we lose along the way that would like to be remembered that way." That statement goes a long way to reveal the heart and spirit of the man behind the character. As Vince Gill, who sang harmonies on this introspective ballad said, "I've always enjoyed Cledus' humor, his ability to laugh at others and himself. But away from his comic persona, I love how big his heart is even more."

parody comedian As with any career, any man with such heart, Cledus T. Judd has grown in person as well as reputation. Not physically grown, though-quite the contrary. Along with the by-gone overalls, he's shed some 45 pounds in the last year. General health concerns, as well as realizing that a higher level of fitness was required for the ambitious tour, led him to a high-protein diet that did the trick. "I'm sure my arteries are clogged up tighter than a toilet at a Titan's game, but I feel better!" says the newly-nearly-svelte Judd. Though you'll never find him putting on airs, his new trim and hip wardrobe better reflect who the real Barry Poole-the genius behind the character Cledus T. Judd-is and always was. Says he: "We've just come to realize that you don't have to be fat to be funny. And you don't have to look funny to be funny."

So if he's not the corpulent hayseed of yesteryear, just who is Cledus T. Judd? As one music journalist said recently, "He's one of the smartest, kindest, hardest working artists in the business. He's brilliant, really. You try writing a really funny parody." And though he is definitely country, don't mistake that for ignorance or naivete; he's a worldwide dude who appreciates all types of music-from country to rap. Last year's spoof of Kid Rock's "Cowboy" ("Plowboy") was an astonishing creation so sonically viable and lyrically ingenious that the song itself and the talent that made it had both fans and industry folks looking at Cledus T. Judd just a little differently.

But don't worry; it's still Cledus T. doing what Cledus T. does best: work. Which, regardless of his jokes about liver transplants and calls to Betty Ford, is what mostly happens on a multi-city tour the scale of the B&D extravaganza and in the life of a beloved comedian. Because even though the man has been "funny since birth," you don't get to where Cledus T. Judd is-country music's most popular comedian and it's only parody artist-without a lot of years of toil. And you don't sell a million-plus records just by putting funny words to popular tunes, either.

southern humor "Shoot," says Cledus, "sometimes we work four or five whole minutes on some of these things." He's poking fun at himself, of course, because as we all know, it takes a clever mind to be funny, skill to imitate, and considerably more than four or five minutes to create viable music. The players on his parodies are the same heralded musicians, usually, who play on the originals, with the added advantage of less constraint that allows them room to inject their own stellar talent. It's that freedom of spirit that forms both the music and the lyrical laughter of Cledus T. Judd, the spirit that has brought him to the top of the game as country's premier funnyman, and has won him the allegiance of fans from 6 to 96.

He's got a following of fellow country artists as well. Some who've lent their scant time to Judd's previous videos and albums include Alan Jackson, Shania Twain, Buck Owens, Deana Carter, Trace Adkins, Charlie Daniels, Brad Paisley and John Anderson. Part of the reason for all this support, aside from recognition that laughter, however created, is a good thing, is that support is deserved by someone who's come such a long way, baby.

The favorite son of Cartersville, GA, Barry Poole, grew up in a doublewide with his mom and stepfather. An only child, Poole learned early on to entertain himself, and ultimately, others. A hair stylist (barber according to his male friends) by trade, one fated day after a messy divorce and a bankruptcy, a tug of something deep inside steered him to an open mic comedy night at Atlanta's Buckboard nightclub. He sang two funny rap songs, won the $50 first prize, and was on his way. Six months later he was in Nashville; two years later, he had a record deal with indie label Razor and Tie. Right out of the chute, his parody of Tim McGraw's breakout hit "Indian Outlaw" ("Indian In-Laws") had the whole country laughing. He won Independent Video of the Year honors in 1996 and 1998 for "If Shania Were Mine" and "Every Light In the House is Blown," respectively, and was a nominee for CMT's Male Video Artist of the Year in 2000. Numerous other lauds have come his way, including Country Weekly's 1997 nominations for Favorite Male Newcomer, Favorite Video Entertainer and Funniest Country Performer.

cledus t. judd the crooner After four records with Razor & Tie, Cledus T. moved to the Sony family in 2000, and his Monument debut, Just Another Day in Parodies, entered the Billboard Country Album Chart at #25-his highest ever-and held the #1 spot on the Billboard Comedy Album chart for 18 consecutive weeks.

A mainstay on both GAC and CMT, Judd's role in country-related television keeps expanding. He recently filmed a pilot of a totally unique new game show. He acts as host in the pilot, which revolves around country music artists, fans and trivia. An as-yet unpublished autobiography fell into the hands of CMT producers, which spurred them to select him for their biography series Inside Fame, set to air in June 2002.

When he isn't on the road or in the studio, you can usually find Barry Poole on the golf course. A skilled and avid duffer, he last year hit a Hole In One on a Par 4 during his hometown country club's annual spring tournament.

Now there's a reason for Cledus Envy.

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