| Rodney Carrington Rodney Carrington broke through with his major label debut Hangin' with Rodney in 1998. The album, which featured fan favorite songs "Letter to My Penis" and "Fred," sold more than 475,000 copies and established Rodney, with his trademark black cowboy hat, boots, and Texas twang, as the king of middle class comedy. The next few years saw four more Top 10 albums: Live, Morning Wood, Nutsack and Greatest Hits, all of which continue to receive major radio airplay on both country and rock formats. Greatest Hits, a double CD, earned a RIAA certified Gold Record and is well on its way to Platinum. His major network comedy, Rodney, ran on ABC from 2004-2006. Rodney considers the television show a two-year infomercial that took his career to new heights, and eventually sparked his creative side. "After the television show ended," says Rodney, "I had renewed interest and energy to put toward my next record. I've been working on this album for five years, writing and then honing the material on the road. It's the best material I've done in a long time. It moves at fast pace. It's funny. That's not a guess; that's based on the feedback I've gotten from audiences." The album includes a live recording of Rodney's stand-up and five song tracks (one live and four studio recorded), including the hilarious anthem "Show Them to Me" and the deeply personal "My Angel Friend." The material is all new, but fans shouldn't expect too much of a departure from Rodney's previous work. The subjects, however, have changed with the performer. "The record has a little more maturity. No, not maturity. I should say growth. I'm older now. I think different than I did five years ago or ten years ago." Rodney's popularity derives, in large part, from his closeness with his audience. Instead of moving to Los Angeles or Nashville, Rodney stayed in Tulsa, Oklahoma; he keeps grounded through frequent live shows. He has been a Pollstar Top 100 grossing concert act since 2001, reaching #28 in 2003 before television commitments forced him to cut back his touring schedule. Now that he's back to full-time touring, he regularly sells out back-to-back 3,000 seat concerts in major cities. Rodney has no plans to change his regular guy approach. "I have no agenda. I don't want to change anyone's mind on anything. But I feel an obligation to the people who support me. I want to entertain them, to be funny. I figure if I get the comedy right, success will follow."
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