Jet Magazine February 27, 1969
Steve Rossi and Slappy White were recognized by Las Vegas Mayor Oran Gragson for promoting better racial understanding in 1970.
Jet Magazine September 3, 1970
Jet Magazine May 27, 1971
The act split up more than a year later with Slappy running for Vice President.
When the comedy team of Steve Rossi and Slappy White split up into solo acts it was announced when Slappy decided to run for vice president.
Check out the interviews of Steve on the Classic Television and showbiz blog. This is a great insight into Steve’s career that may surprise those who think they know everything about his rise to fame.
Topics Include: Joe E. Ross, Nancy Sinatra, Billy Strange, Lee Hazlewood, Marty Allen, Telly Savalas, Cindy Williams, Slappy White, Phil Foster, Norm Crosby, Mitch DeWood, the murder of Dorothy Kilgallen, Break up of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Danny Aiello, Sandy Baron, Corbett Monica, Harry Crane, Gene Baylos,
Topics Include: Working with Mae West, Arthur Godfrey, Trini Lopez, Slappy White, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Batman and Rubin, Bob Kane, The Man From O.R.G.Y., Real Gone Girls, Howard Stern, the murder of Dorothy Kilgallen,
To appreciate the groundbreaking achievement this comedy pairing was you really must read the article in its original context as published nationally through the Bell-McClure Syndicate that brought entertainment news to local papers throughout the nation.
Click here to read the article as it appeared in the Milwaukee Journal. The same edition of this paper includes an article asking if it is a good idea for families to choose to live in integrated neighborhoods. Our country has come so far since that time thanks in part to the work of Steve Rossi and Slappy White as one of the very first interracial comedy teams.
Slappy White passed away in 1995. You can read more about him in the book:
Black comedians on Black comedy: how African-Americans taught us to laugh By Darryl Littleton he had this to say about Slappy
Several writers of this day referred to Slappy White as “the father of the integrated joke.” Such a reputation positioned him to become one of the first comics of black descent to be booked into the white sanctuary – the Catskills, He later partnered with white comedian Steve Rossi, did numerous television guest-starring appearances, and toured extensively.
