Vintage Stand-up Comedy: Vaughn Meader - Vaughn Meader Says 'If The Shoe Fits' 1964

Vaughn Meader - Vaughn Meader Says 'If The Shoe Fits' 1964

On: Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Vaughn Meader	Abbott Vaughn Meader	Waterville, Maine, USA
Mar 20 1936 – Oct 29 2004 age 68	NPR Tribute	Wikipedia

Renee Taylor, Reni Santoni	Birth Name	Birthplace
Born/Died	Official Site	Wikipedia

By the early '60s Meader was performing in comedy clubs in New York City; one night Meader spontaneously broke into an imitation of then newly elected President John F. Kennedy and his impression was so good that the audience response was encouraging. Meader soon developed a Kennedy shtick that was regarded as the best in show business.

"The First Family" had won the Grammy for Best Album of the Year, the only time this distinction has been awarded to a comedy album.

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX. Within a week of the President's death, not a single copy of The First Family was to be found in New York City record stores, and all of Meader's forthcoming engagements were canceled. The First Family had set a record for being the fastest-selling recording in history, but this was superseded by a memorial album for President Kennedy. Even before the end of 1963, many fans who once enthusiastically embraced The First Family's humor were already trying to expunge the album from their collections; it was no longer considered appropriate to laugh at a president whose life had ended so tragically. Meader, still only 27 with only a few months logged on the roller coaster of fame, was already a has-been. He continued to make comedy albums and ultimately began to explore the musical side of his talent in bluegrass and honky tonk-styled recordings under his given name of Abbott Meader.

In the 1990s Meader did benefit from a small swell of interest due to nostalgia for his Kennedy impressions, and made some final recordings in his Kennedy voice on an album entitled The Last Word (1994). Overall, Meader was featured on about 30 albums, both comedy and music, some of which are very difficult to find, though not The First Family nor its follow-up, The First Family Rides Again. As of this writing, The First Family is still the best-selling comedy album ever made, and even today there probably isn't a thrift or junk store in the United States without a dusty copy of this album residing somewhere on its shelves. ~ Uncle Dave Lewis, Rovi, excerpts

01 Bless My Sole 1:05
02 Foot in the Door 3:33
03 Tongue Twister 3:30
04 Heel 4:40
05 Best Foot Backward 2:50
06 Football 4:20

01 Sneakers 4:00
02 Foot in Mouth 7:00
03 If the Shoe Fits 2:20
14 Taps 3:21
15 Open Toe 3:20