Dante Powell is a stand-up comedian from Bernice, Louisiana now living in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

. His 2020 album ''The Squirrels Get Fat'', produced by Grammy winner

Dan Schlissel Dan Schlissel is an American record producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and founder of the record labels Stand Up! Records, which specializes in comedy, and -ismist Recordings, which focused on punk and alternative rock from Nebraska and nearb ...

and released on his label Stand Up! Records, reached No. 1 on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts. Paste Magazine called it one of the best albums of 2020 made by a black comedian.

Early life

Powell was born in Bernice, Louisiana. He was inspired by the example of

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

player

Willis Reed Willis Reed Jr. (born June 25, 1942) is an American retired basketball player, coach and general manager. He spent his entire professional playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memo ...

, who also grew up in Bernice, to become an entertainer. Before getting into comedy, Powell was a trucker.

Career

He moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 2012, launching a career as a stand-up comic in 2014. His comedy often deals with the culture clash between his Southern upbringing and new Midwest life. He has performed at the Green Gravel Comedy Festival in Iowa City in 2017, Denver's High Plains Comedy Festival in 2018, and the 2019 10,000 Laughs festival in Minneapolis. He headlined at Iowa City's Floodwater Comedy Festival in 2019, where he recorded the material that would become his debut album, ''The Squirrels Get Fat''.

Discography

*''The Squirrels Get Fat'' (

Stand Up! Records Stand Up! Records is an American independent comedy record label founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel. It has been called "the country's most respected indie comedy label." Stand Up! has released more than 20 ...

, 2020)

Other work

Podcast appearances

''Peace Talk'', Episode 16: "Kanye West Of Des Moines" (May 11, 2020)

''The Nostalgic Front'', Episode 155: "Dante Powell!" (May 4, 2020)

''History Made Up'', Episode 89: "The History of Bernice, Louisiana" (March 22, 2019)

''Set to Destroy'', "Dante Powell and Megan Welch Have Thoughtful Sets" (June 25, 2018)

''Dr. Heckle'', Episode 13: "Concentration Of NBA Hall Of Famers In Bernice, Louisiana" (April 5, 2018)

References

External links

* * *
Dante Powell at Stand Up! Records website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Dante Living people 21st-century American comedians American male comedians American stand-up comedians African-American male comedians African-American stand-up comedians People from Bernice, Louisiana People from Des Moines, Iowa Comedians from Louisiana Comedians from Iowa Stand Up! Records artists 1987 births 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people