Rudy Ray Moore 1927-2008 RIP

Rudy Ray Moore, comedian, singer, actor and film producer died of complications from diabetes in Toledo, Ohio on October 19, 2008.   In 1975 he took on the character Dolemite, the ‘uniquely articulate pimp’ in a film by the same name and followed up with a sequel film The Human Tornado.   A popular tag line was ‘rappin and tappin is my game’.

Moore, known as the ‘king of the party records’, released several in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  His style was explicit and he was considered a notch beyond contemporaries Richard Prior and Redd Fox in his outrageous dialogue.

Moore got his start as an R & B singer.  In 2008 he reprised the character Petey Wheatstraw for the song I Live For the Funk, featuring Blowfly and Daniel Jordan.  In the movie, Rudy Ray played the title character, who made a deal with the Devil to marry the ugliest girl on earth – the Devil’s daughter.  The collaboration marked the 30 year anniversary of the film.

Check out our photo gallery below.

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