Growing up poor in a St. Louis African American community, Dick Gregory
(b. 1932) gained his improvisational skills trading insults on
neighborhood streets. He honed his ironic barbs in Chicago's black
nightclubs before crossing over to mainstream venues. His success at the
Playboy Club led to bookings at nightspots around the country, network
television exposure, and a recording contract. His first book, From the
Back of the Bus, offered satiric observations on race in America in the
midst of the civil rights era.