Album of the Day

With his finger on such hot-button issues as race, sex and religion, Richard Pryor was among the most controversial comedians of the 20th century – and one of the funniest. A string of hit albums, TV and movie appearances propelled him into the stratosphere, though in June, 1980, he nearly flamed out in a freebase cocaine binge. In typical fashion, Pryor mined the incident for comedy gold on LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP, along with personal (and sometimes profane) takes on such topics as “Women” “Prison” and “Africa,” as well as a visit from recurring character Mudbone. The collection and its companion film were drawn from comeback performances at the Hollywood Palladium and the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California, and show Richard Pryor to be a stand-up without peer. The famed funnyman was born on this day in 1940, and we salute him with the Grammy-winning LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP.