Fancy Ray McCloney is a stand-up comedian and advertising pitchman from

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. He is known for his flamboyant comic persona, once described as "gleefully narcissistic," blending elements of

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, and a tent-revival preacher. He is known for producing and starring in low-budget TV ads for local businesses in the Twin Cities and markets across the U.S., including a

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...

ad aired during the

2016 Super Bowl Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

that played off his status as a "local legend." Rarely breaking character on stage or off, Fancy Ray is a buoyantly self-aggrandizing, larger-than-life personality given to spontaneous poetry (about himself) and mock-boastful proclamations including his oft-repeated characteristic catchphrase "I'm the best-lookin’ man in comedy." In 2020, he released the career-retrospective stand-up album ''The Best Lookin' Man in Comedy'' on

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 ...

. Writer/producer Diablo Cody, who wrote the liner notes for the album, calls Fancy Ray a "subversive" and "bombastic character (who) looms large in the collective psyche of the Twin Cities ... a nontraditional, nonconformist guy" whose "shtick is almost like a spell."

Early life

The youngest of four boys from north Minneapolis, McCloney attended

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

, Marshall-University and

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

high schools, graduating from West. As a second-grader, Ray did a ventriloquist act with

Rev. Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christian ...

's traveling show. His nickname came from his grandfather, William M.L. "Fancy" Wade, a sharp-dressed ladies' man and professional athlete who also introduced McCloney to the music and style of Little Richard, a major influence.

Career

Stand-up comedy

McCloney's career began in 1984 when he won a lip-sync contest at Minneapolis' First Avenue nightclub impersonating Little Richard,

Screamin' Jay Hawkins Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of s ...

, and James Brown. This led to spots on the nationally syndicated lip-sync TV show ''

Puttin' on the Hits ''Puttin' on the Hits'' is an American syndicated music/variety competition show that was hosted and written by Allen Fawcett. The show featured amateur acts lip-synching to popular songs. The show aired on weekends from 1984 to 1988. The show's ...

''. He began performing stand-up in 1989, performing locally and opening for Richard Pryor, Little Richard and

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

. Fancy Ray's comic persona includes a flamboyant sexual ambiguity and style of dress, and a theatrical mock-arrogance and vanity once described as "a cross between Little Richard and Ethel Merman" and a "carefully crafted ... naughty alter ego with goofy, winking innocence" that gives him the "ability to soften life’s seedier edges with campy joie de vivre." His penchant for bombastic nicknames also includes "The Human Chocolate Orchid." He has sometimes been disparaged for merely being "famous for being famous," which he acknowledges with the joke "I'm like Paris iltonwith a pretty tan."

''Get Down With It''

Also in 1989, McCloney debuted a talk show, ''Get Down With It'', on local cable-access Minneapolis Television Network. The show cemented his status as a local celebrity in the Twin Cities, interviewing guests including Ron Jeremy,

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and singer. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins established himself as one of the leading n ...

, Whoopi Goldberg,

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

, Bo Diddley, George Clinton, Carol Channing, Kevin Garnett, and

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in ...

. Though focusing on comedy, the show also had a serious side; McCloney interviewed white supremacists during the Los Angeles riots, as well as civil rights activist

Spike Moss Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave * ''The Spike'' (book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick * ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter F. Hamilto ...

and (in his final interview) HIV-positive Minneapolis City Council member

Brian Coyle Brian John Coyle (June 25, 1944 – August 23, 1991) was an American community leader, elected official, and gay activist. Coyle was one of the founders of the alternative newspaper ''Hundred Flowers''. Biography Brian John Coyle was born on Ju ...

. A reviewer for the

St. Cloud Times ''St. Cloud Times'' is an American, English language daily newspaper headquartered in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The ''Times'' is owned by mass media holding company Gannett and is part of the ''USA Today'' network of newspapers. The print version o ...

noted that despite his reputation for outrageous self-promotion, "Fancy Ray's true calling is as an interviewer. He's sensitive, prepared and interested in what other people have to say."

Television advertising

McCloney runs a one-man ad agency, Chocolate Orchid Productions, which produces, writes, edits and stars in television commercials for local businesses in the Twin Cities and other markets including San Jose; Phoenix; Memphis;

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

; and

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. He also appeared in a Taco Bell ad aired during the 2016 Super Bowl that played off his status as a "local legend."

Political career

In 1998, he ran for governor of Minnesota on the third-party People's Champion ticket, stating that "the whole election was a joke so why not have me, a professional comedian?" Beyond novelty value, he also wanted to be a spokesman for issues affecting blacks and poor people. His running mate was his mother, Toni McCloney. He received 919 votes, losing to Jesse Ventura.

''The Best Lookin' Man in Comedy''

On March 27, 2020, McCloney released ''The Best Lookin' Man in Comedy'', on

. Originally recorded in 2014, the album features highlights from 30 years of his comedy career and liner notes by Diablo Cody. The mayors of both Minneapolis and St. Paul officially proclaimed the date "Fancy Ray McCloney Day" in his honor. McCloney was also named grand marshal of the

St. Patrick’s Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost pat ...

parade in Minneapolis, though the parade was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Other appearances

Fancy Ray has appeared on a number of nationwide talk shows and reality series, including '' The Tonight Show'', ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

'', ''

Last Comic Standing ''Last Comic Standing'' was an American reality television talent competition show on NBC that aired from June 1, 2003, to August 9, 2010, then again in 2014 and 2015. The goal of the program was to select a comedian from an initially large group ...

'', ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...

'', ''

The Maury Povich Show ''Maury'', originally titled ''The Maury Povich Show'', is an American tabloid talk show hosted by Maury Povich that ran in first-run syndication from 1991 to 2022. The series premiered in 1991 as ''The Maury Povich Show'' and was produced by ...

'', and '' The Jenny Jones Show''. He moved to Los Angeles in 2003 to establish a Hollywood career, but returned to the Twin Cities in 2008. McCloney appeared in the 2008 direct-to-video comedy ''The Junkyard Willie Movie: Lost In Transit'' as "Crazy Revival Preacher." He contributed guest vocals to the 2003 song "Parrots" by indie-rock band

Hymie's Basement Hymie's Basement is an American indie rock duo. It consists of Yoni Wolf and Andrew Broder of Fog. They released one album, '' Hymie's Basement'', on Lex Records in 2003. The name ''Hymies Basement'' came from the album being recording in the basem ...

, and stars in a promotional video for

Sleeping in the Aviary Sleeping in the Aviary was an indie rock band established in Madison, Wisconsin, but which was based in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota at the time they broke up in 2012. Their musical style has been compared to that of "early XTC and Talking Hea ...

's 2010 album ''You and Me, Ghost'', described by the Minnesota Daily as "a tongue-in-cheek homage to all those late night advertisements you’ve probably fallen asleep to once or twice." He was profiled in a 2019 segment of Twin Cities PBS' ''Minnesota Original''. His face appears on a mural painted on a building at 2933 E. Lake St. in Minneapolis. McCloney is an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church and has officiated many weddings.

Discography

*''The Best Lookin' Man in Comedy'' (

, 2020) *''Fancy Ray’s 20th Anniversary of Comedy'' (DVD, 2009)

Personal life

McCloney has a son, Trevon. He claims to be "ageless", and for decades has given his age as between 24 and 29.

References

External links

Official Fancy Ray McCloney website
*
Fancy Ray McCloney at Stand Up! Records websiteMinnesota Original segment on Fancy RayFancy Ray YouTube Channel''Get Down With It'' Best of 1991Nicollet Village Video advertisement starring Fancy RayFancy Ray as Screamin' Jay Hawkins on Puttin' On the HitsFancy Ray's 20th Anniversary of Comedy TV SpecialFancy Ray on America's Got Talent in 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Fancy 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians African-American male comedians American male comedians American stand-up comedians People from Minneapolis Comedians from Minnesota Living people America's Got Talent contestants Year of birth missing (living people) Stand Up! Records artists Central High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota) alumni 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people