The notorious recordings by legendary comedian singer, actor, and filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore have been sold to leading independent comedy label 800 Pound Gorilla Records by his long-time manager Donald H. Randell in a deal facilitated by SongVest, the music industry’s premiere online marketplace for buying and selling royalties.
The main Dolemite Comedy Catalog includes over 40 of the late comedian’s most famous recordings, as well as never-before-heard, unreleased masters with outtakes from his comedy shows, instrumental tracks, and more. The albums include: Eat Out More Often, The Dirty Dozen House Party, Greatest Hits, This Ain’t No White Christmas, Dolemite for President, Return of Dolemite-“Superstar”, 50 Years of Cussing, The Beatnik Scene, The Rudy Ray Moore Album: I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing, Live in Concert, The Player—The Hustler, Sweet Peeter Jeeter, The Turning Point, Close Encounter of the Sex Kind, The Sensuous Black Man,among many others.
Dolemite is my name
And rappin’ and tappin’
That’s my game
I’m young and free
And just as bad as I wanna be
– Rudy Ray Moore
Moore’s recordings, standup routines, and filmmaking are integral to his life story as portrayed in the 2019 Netflix film. Dolemite Is My Name starring Eddie Murphy, who used to attend Moore’s shows in L.A. The film highlights the struggling comedian in 1970s LA as he hit it big with his raunch alter ego and then risked it all to take his act to the big screen.
As the ‘Godfather of Rap,’ Moore’s groundbreaking comedy with rapid-fire rhyming, explicit sexual language, and hilarious tales and characters such as the pimp Dolemite, have been influential to comedy and hip-hop royalty for decades, and also sampled by legendary rappers such as Dr. Dre, Big Daddy Kane, 2 Live Crew.His 1975 blaxploitation movie Dolemite plus its sequels,The Human Tornado, and The Return of Dolemite, have become cult classics.
“My utmost priority was to bring new life to Rudy Ray Moore’s classic comedy recordings and help further his legacy for many years to come. It was the right decision to partner with Sean Peace and entrust SongVest in helping to guide me and find a perfect home at 800 Pound Gorilla Records. Ian, Ryan, and Damion and their staff really understands the genre and can deliver what Rudy Ray Moore fans want, plus they have the best infrastructure, tools, and distribution to expand the reach and grow the audience for Rudy’s craftmanship,” says Randell.
Sean Peace, CEO of SongVest said, “Working with Donald and 800 Pound Gorilla was such a great experience, and I’m proud to have fostered the sale of Rudy Ray Moore’s classic recordings through our network at SongVest.”
“Owning a piece of history like Rudy Ray Moore’s Dolemite Comedy Catalogis a dream come true. I will personally make sure the recordings live on. Our entire team is ready to bring this iconic catalog in, and find the best opportunities to get more people to laugh along with the stories of Dolemite,” said Ian Adkins, Founding Member and Head of European Operations, 800 Pound Gorilla Media.
Randell is using proceeds from the sale to produce and direct a feature film with behind-the-scenes untold stories based on his own personal life and relationship to the comedian listening as a young fan, to managing the star, and being his close friend.
For more information on SongVest, visit:https://www.songvest.com/
For more information on 800PG, visit:https://www.800poundgorillarecords.com/
Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
