George Carlin was born on May 12, 1938 (or 1937, sources differ) in New York City. He dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Air Force. During his assignment in Shreveport, Louisiana he became a newscaster and disk jockey at the KJOE radio station. After his discharge in 1957 he moved to Boston getting employment with radio station WEZE. Over the next few years he had many radio jobs.
In 1959, he met and teamed up with newsman Jack Burns. They moved to Hollywood in the early 1960s where they came to the attention of Lenny Bruce. The team performed in mainstream comedy clubs and even had an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar. After Burns left the team, Carlin began to make a name for himself as a stand-up comedian. He appeared on television shows with Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, and Ed Sullivan, to name a few.
In 1972, he was arrested for his infamous “Seven Words You Can Never Use on Television.” The charges were thrown out, but he will always be famous for his test of First Amendments rights as they applied to broadcasting.
1972 also marked the release of this first record album, Take-Offs and Put-Ons. He continued to release albums (earning Grammy Awards in 1972, 1993, 2000 and 2001) and stayed in the public eye via television, movies, and live concerts throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. He has been described in the press as “caustic,” “acerbic,” “angry,” and “irreverent.”
It was announced on June 17, 2008 that George Carlin would receive the 11th annual Mark Twain prize for American Humor by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts at its ceremony on November 10, 2008. He is the first comedian to receive the award posthumously. He died in Santa Monica, CA on June 22, 2008 of heart failure.
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