When All D. Freemon was looking for a venue to replace the vacuum in black comedy that followed the demise of the Jus’ Jokin’ club, he turned to the former BYOB discotheque founded by Houston NewsPages publisher Francis Page Sr. in ’71. Though primarily an open mike for comedians of all stripes and colors, the Thunder Thursdays showcase has already landed such talent as blaxploitation icon Rudy Ray Moore (a.k.a. Dolemite) and Renaldo Ray of BET’s Comicview to kick off the evening. Here’s to keeping diversity in the local comedy scene.
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2001.