Dante Powell (comedian)

Dante Powell is a stand-up comedian from Bernice, Louisiana now living in Des Moines, Iowa. His 2020 album The Squirrels Get Fat, produced by Grammy winner Dan Schlissel and released on his label Stand Up! Records, reached No. 1 on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts.[2][3] Paste Magazine called it one of the best albums of 2020 made by a black comedian.[4]

Dante Powell
Born1987 or 1988 (age 36–37)[1]
OccupationStand-up comedian
Years active2014-present
Websitedantepowell.com

Early life

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Powell was born in Bernice, Louisiana.[5] He was inspired by the example of New York Knicks player Willis Reed, who also grew up in Bernice, to become an entertainer.[6] Before getting into comedy, Powell was a trucker.[7]

Career

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He moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 2012, launching a career as a stand-up comic in 2014. His comedy often deals with the culture clash between his Southern upbringing and new Midwest life.[8][9]

He has performed at the Green Gravel Comedy Festival in Iowa City in 2017,[10] Denver's High Plains Comedy Festival in 2018,[11][12] and the 2019 10,000 Laughs festival in Minneapolis. He headlined at Iowa City's Floodwater Comedy Festival in 2019, where he recorded the material that would become his debut album, The Squirrels Get Fat.[7]

Discography

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Other work

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Podcast appearances

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  • Peace Talk, Episode 16: "Kanye West Of Des Moines" (May 11, 2020)[13]
  • The Nostalgic Front, Episode 155: "Dante Powell!" (May 4, 2020)[12]
  • History Made Up, Episode 89: "The History of Bernice, Louisiana" (March 22, 2019)[6]
  • Set to Destroy, "Dante Powell and Megan Welch Have Thoughtful Sets" (June 25, 2018)[14]
  • Dr. Heckle, Episode 13: "Concentration Of NBA Hall Of Famers In Bernice, Louisiana" (April 5, 2018)[15]

    References

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    1. ^ Porter, Sierra A. (2020-06-03). "Des Moines comedian Dante Powell talks being No. 1 on iTunes, plus cancel culture and racism in comedy". Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
    2. ^ "Stand Up! Records". Facebook. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    3. ^ "Stand Up! Records". Facebook. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    4. ^ Cathcart, Olivia (June 16, 2020). "28 Recent Stand-up Albums by Black Comedians You Need to Listen to". Paste. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
    5. ^ Vogel, Drew (2017-11-13). "Cottonwood Cafe hosts comedian discussing politics, boybands". The Daily Nebraskan. Lincoln, Nebraska. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    6. ^ a b "Ep. 89 - "The History of Bernice, Louisiana" with Dante Powell". History Made Up (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    7. ^ a b Ford, Talitha (2019-02-27). "Dante Powell kicks off Floodwater with live album recording". Little Village. Iowa City/Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    8. ^ Berg, Zach (2019-02-27). "8 comedy events not to miss this week at Iowa City's Floodwater Comedy Festival". Press-Citizen. Iowa City, Iowa. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    9. ^ Powell, Dante (2017-10-06). "Des Moines, Iowa Is Actually Cool. I Swear". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    10. ^ "Dante Powell". Green Gravel Comedy Festival. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    11. ^ Dean, Ashley (2018-06-20). "High Plains Comedy Festival announces first wave of comics joining headliner David Cross". Denverite. Denver, Colorado. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    12. ^ a b Brandon Ream (2020-05-04). "Episode 155 - Dante Powell!". The Nostalgic Front (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    13. ^ Day Peace (2020-05-11). "Kanye West Of Des Moines with Dante Powell". Peace Talk (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    14. ^ Stephen Taylor, Ryan Trickey (2018-06-25). "Dante Powell and Megan Welch have Thoughtful Sets". Set to Destroy (Podcast). Retrieved 2020-05-24.
    15. ^ "Concentration Of NBA Hall Of Famers In Bernice, Louisiana". Dr. Heckle (Podcast). 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
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