JR Brow never wanted to be a fireman. He never wanted to be a dentist or a
doctor. He didn't have a name for what he wanted to do, but Brow wanted to make
people laugh. His journey began after he saw how guys like George Carlin, Steve
Martin, and Bill Cosby made it look effortless on television.
It was in high school where Brow began showcasing his penchant for
performing. As a sophomore, he formed a rock band. Calling themselves
"Renegade," they covered 70's and 80's hits, with Brow as the front man and
lead singer. Often times, the band was so unorganized that Brow found time
between songs to improvise, keeping the weary audience's attention. After a
meager performance at the school's talent show, Renegade disbanded, and Brow
went into a three-month hiatus. When he emerged it was with another band. They
were hard rockers. They had better musicians. And, they were seniors, for
crying out loud.
Music aside, Brow was developing a knack for handling restless crowds, no
thanks to the band. "Metal fans are a rowdy group, and if there were technical
problems between songs, I'd be there up front doing or saying anything to keep
their attention, mostly so they wouldn't start pelting me with stuff." After
working with a few punk bands and one professional metal band during college,
Brow was ready to leave the scene behind. "I was growing tired of sharing one
paycheck with four other guys," he says.
Five years passed while Brow quietly settled back into a real daytime job.
Then in 1989 he got the itch to perform again. This time, he would try stand up
at a tiny hole-in-the-wall club in downtown Austin. Notorious for being a tough
room, the Velveeta Room, formerly a strip club, seems an unlikely setting for
comedy, but 15 years-strong, it's still one of the most talked about and
revered clubs in the country.
"I'm proud of my Velveeta roots. Performing comedy on stage with a
stripper's pole right in front of you sort of sets the tone for comedy. I used
to offer ten dollar table jokes to the crowd."
If practice makes perfect, then Brow is nearing the mark. Since his first
time on stage in 1989, he has gone on to finalize in the San Francisco Int'l
Comedy Competition. He was picked out of 2,000 comedians to perform in Aspen,
at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, hosted by HBO. His first television
appearance on NBC's "Comedy Showcase", hosted by Louie Anderson, resulted from
a stellar performance in front of industry executives.
Currently JR continues to make waves across the country as a top-notch
performer. And while in non-stop demand from comedy clubs, nationwide, he is
also much in demand in the corporate world. Austin Regional Nike executives
loved his show. Companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Kraft, the San Antonio Spurs,
and members of the Dallas Cowboys think he's a hoot. Executives for D.R. Horton
already want him back for next year's award ceremony. And they're a Fortune 500
Company, for crying out loud.
