Joseph K. Bevilacqua (born January 2, 1959) is an American
actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
,
producer,
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
,
author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
,
dramatist
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just
reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwri ...
,
humorist
A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking. A raconteur is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way.
Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society ...
,
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...
, and
documentarian
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill N ...
.
Biography
Early life
Bevilacqua was born on January 2, 1959, in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, the son of an Italian
policeman from
Apulia
Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...
, Joseph Bevilacqua Sr., and a
housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...
, the former Joan Kvidahl. Bevilacqua began performing as a child. His family moved to Iselin, New Jersey in 1965. In 1971, he began recording his first audio stories, ''Willoughby and the Professor'', half hour stories, in which he performed all of the voices himself, creating live sound effects, and scoring with
78 RPM
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...
records he found in his attic.
According to NPR, Bevilacqua sent a 120-minute cassette of his Willoughby stories to voice actor
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...
, the voice of
Yogi Bear,
Quickdraw McGraw,
Huckleberry Hound and other
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
and
Jay Ward
Joseph Ward Cohen Jr. (September 20, 1920 – October 12, 1989), also known as Jay Ward, was an American creator and producer of animated TV cartoon shows. He produced animated series based on such characters as Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bu ...
cartoon characters.
Butler soon dubbed himself Bevilacqua's mentor.
Author
Joe Bevilacqua has written and edited a number of books, including ''
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...
, Characters Actor'', the authorized biography of his mentor and the voice of
Yogi Bear. He co-authored the script book ''Uncle Dunkle and Donnie'' with
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...
and edited ''Butler's Scenes for Actors and Voices'' workbook. He has also written many
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards.
Origin
Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
on the history of radio for
Radio Spirits releases.
Radio career
Bevilacqua also worked for
WBGO, Jazz 88 in Newark, NJ, and produced documentaries for
WNYC
WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...
, New York Public Radio, on jazz legends including
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
,
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...
,
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
,
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...
,
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...
, and
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...
. His features play on
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
.
He is a frequent contributor to
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, and in 2009, Bevilacqua presented his commentary for ''
Marketplace
A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...
''. about his "green lifestyle".
As of June 2014, Bevilacqua had 14 regularly airing radio series, and 34 hours of new radio per month.
The Joe Bev Hour
The Joe Bev Hour is the umbrella named used by radio stations for all of his productions
syndicated worldwide:
* The Comedy-O-Rama Hour is improvised radio theater, performed by regulars Bevilacqua, Lorie Kellogg, Kenny Savoy, Jim Folly and guest stars
Rick Overton
Richard Overton (born August 10, 1954) is an American actor and screenwriter. His writing credits include ''Dennis Miller Live'' (1994–2002), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award, while his acting credits include '' Gung Ho'' and '' O ...
,
Judy Tenuta
Judy Lynn Tenuta (November 7, 1949 – October 6, 2022) was an American comedian, actress, and comedy musician. She was known for her whimsical and brash persona of "The Love Goddess", mixing insult comedy, observational humor, self-promotion, ...
,
Bob Camp
Robert Frank Camp (born February 7, 1956) is an American animator, writer, cartoonist, comic book artist, storyboard artist, director, and producer. He is best known for founding Spümcø and his work for developing and serving as a showrunner ...
(co-creator of
Ren and Stimpy),
Shelley Berman
Sheldon Leonard Berman (February 3, 1925 – September 1, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, and lecturer.
He was awarded three gold records for his comedy albums and he won the first Grammy Award for a spoken comedy recor ...
,
Al Franken
Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, and actor who served from 2009 to 2018 as a United States senator from Minnesota. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he worked as an ...
(before he was a Senator),
Bob Edwards,
Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar (born Julia Chalene Newmeyer; August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real estate Business magnate, mogul. ...
and
Stuart Pankin
Stuart Pankin (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor. He is known for his role as anchor Bob Charles in ''Not Necessarily the News'' and as the voice of Earl Sinclair in ''Dinosaurs (TV series), Dinosaurs''. Pankin is also known for his portray ...
. The series had a four-year run on
Sirius XM Radio
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merger ...
before moving to syndication.
* The Jazz-O-Rama Hour
is a music show hosted by Bevilacqua, featuring 78 RPM and early LP recordings remastered from his own personal collection spanning the 1920s to the 1960s.
* The Joe Bev Experience is an omnibus of documentaries, interviews, comedy and drama.
* Cartoon Carnival
is an hour of rare and classic cartoon audio, children's records, cartoon music and sound effects, new radio cartoons, interviews and mini-documentaries about the animation.
* The Joe Bev Audio Theater is an anthology of drama and humor storytelling with full casts, sound effects and music.
* The Joe Bev Hour Sunday Edition is a rotating lineup which includes The Comedy-O-Rama, The Joe Bev Experience, Cartoon Carnival, and The Joe Bev Audio Theater.
Stations running The Joe Bev Hour including
WGTD,
Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is a network of 38 public radio radio station, stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct services, the ''WPR News Network'' and the ''WPR Music Network''.
History
Wisconsin Publ ...
,
Sound Stages Radio,
WHRO-
Norfolk, VA
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, The
1920s Radio Network,
Toon Radio,
Pawling Public Radio,
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand (), commonly known as RNZ or Radio NZ, is a New Zealand public service broadcaster and Crown entity. Established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995, it operates news and current affairs station, RNZ National, and a classi ...
, WGTD, Wisconsin Public Radio, Sound Stages Radio, WHRO-Norfolk, VA, The 1920s Radio Network, Toon Radio, Pawling Public Radio, Radio New Zealand, Prairie Public, Moab Public Radio, KAZU, WNMU-FM, KREV, WMMT, KAWC, Red River Radio Network, Marfa Public Radio, KCUR, WEZU, WSNC, Troy Public Radio, WCMU Public Radio, WRPI, KUAT, KUHF, KVMR, WRFA, KSVR Studios: Skagit Valley Radio, WHRV, KVMR, WUCF, WFIU, KRPS, KUT, WLRN, WTIP, WNCU, KEOS, KRUA, New Hampshire Public Radio, KGOU, Delta College Public Radio, WPSU, Northeast Indiana Public Radio, KMXT, KUFM - Montana Public Radio, WEFT, Northern Community Radio - KAXE & KBXE, WRVO, WYSO, WMPG, WGUC, KRPS, WEKU, Oregon Public Broadcasting, WXXI, Yellowstone Public Radio, Robin Hood Radio/ WHDD AM 1020/FM 91.9-WLHV FM 88.1 /WGHQ AM 920, WHRV, WVAS, WDCB, WMUK, KCCK, WAMC, Here and Now, WGBH, KWIT, KDUR, WGUC, WJFF, WILL, WNPR, WCAI/WNAN, KTNA, WKSU, WKMS, AMU, KSTX (KPAC), KERA, WFCR, WUAL, KZYX, KCPW, Stan, Delmarva Public Radio, KRCB, WKNO, KSJD, KFSR, KUHF, KQED, Spokane Public Radio, WUIS, WEKU, WEPS, WNCU, WPSU, KUOW, KUHB, KTXK, Raven Radio, WQUB, WCOM, WMUB, KGLT, KDNK, KMXT, KSFR, WVPE, South Dakota Public Broadcasting - Radio, KSUT, KUVO, KDLG, KVNF, KUHB, Yellowstone Public Radio, WERU, KSRQ, WKSU, KRCB, GAUF, WUSM, WDNA, KUGS, WGCU, KFAI, WUTS, East Village Radio, KAOS, KBBI.
Bear Manor Radio
In March 2014, BearManor Media appointed Joe Bevilacqua as program director of the new Bear Manor Radio Network.
In an announcement dated March 28, 2014, Ben Ohmart, president of Bear Manor Media, the publisher of books about old Hollywood, said, "We are excited to collaborate again with the extraordinarily talented Joe Bevilacqua."
The BearManor Radio went on the air streaming 24/7 on April 1, 2014, with six program. On June 1, 2014, the network added four more hour, all produced by Joe Bevilacqua. These are:
* The Voice Actor Show: Interviews with top voice actors
* Lorie's Book Nook: Interviews with Bear Manor authors
* The J-OTR Show: A mix of new and old time radio
* Fred Frees Favorites: An audio book sampler
* The Jazz-O-Rama Hour: Early 78 RPM and LP recordings remastered
* Cartoon Carnival: Interview, music and soundtracks
* The Lost OTR Show: Recently uncovered old time radio not heard in over 60 years
* Audio Classics Archive: The top old time radio from the vault of Terry Salomonson
* What's Cookin' with Chef Steve: Jazz, authors, and recipes
Audio books
In 2011, Bevilacqua signed a deal with Audible to distribute all of his
audiobook
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sch ...
s, including
radio drama
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the liste ...
,
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
,
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
,
cartoons
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...
,
documentary
A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
,
classic literature
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
,
biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...
, and
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
.
In 2012, Bevilacqua signed a new deal with
Blackstone Audio, which has released nearly 100 audio titles by Bevilacqua, for download, CD, retail and libraries. 100 more are planned for 2014, many
radio theater and
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
.
Cartoonist
Since the 1970s, Joe Bevilacqua has been cartooning his own characters, starting with Willoughby and the Professor. He has drawn for many of his projects and most recently drew cover art for six new Blackstone Audio titles coming up July 1, 2014, under the collective title A Joe Bev Cartoon.
Film and TV
Joe Bev was also the voice of Unicycler Cat in the
North Bay Corp animated television commercials.
Stage
Bevilacqua's stage work includes roles in ''
Equus'', ''
Bedroom Farce
A bedroom farce or sex farce is a type of light comedy focusing on the sexual pairings and recombinations of characters as they move through improbable plots and slamming doors.
Overview
Georges Feydeau plays, presented in Paris in the 1890s, a ...
'', ''
Applause'', ''
Black Comedy
Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
'', and others plays. He tours regularly as
Bud Abbott
William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man in the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.
Early life
Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New Jer ...
in ''A Tribute to Bud & Lou'' with Bob Greenberg as
Lou Costello
Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), better known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First?".
Abbott and Cos ...
. Bevilacqua has performed at
he Improv Caroline's on Broadway, Catch a Rising Star, and the Comic Strip. He has opened for
Uncle Floyd, and has worked with
Al Franken
Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, and actor who served from 2009 to 2018 as a United States senator from Minnesota. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he worked as an ...
,
Shelley Berman
Sheldon Leonard Berman (February 3, 1925 – September 1, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, and lecturer.
He was awarded three gold records for his comedy albums and he won the first Grammy Award for a spoken comedy recor ...
,
Lewis Black
Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy routines often escalate into angry rants about history, politics, religion and cultural trends.
He hosted the Comedy Central series ''Lewis Black's ...
and
Rick Overton
Richard Overton (born August 10, 1954) is an American actor and screenwriter. His writing credits include ''Dennis Miller Live'' (1994–2002), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award, while his acting credits include '' Gung Ho'' and '' O ...
. Bevilacqua has also MC'd shows featuring
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version ...
,
Bill Mahr and
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, best-known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York dialect, his squint, and his edgy, often-controversial, sense of humor. Hi ...
.
In 1989, funded by The New Jersey Historical Commission and The Monmouth County Historical Society, Bevilacqua produced, directed and starred in ''A Freneau Sampler'', consisting of the poetry, prose and life of
Philip Freneau
Philip Morin Freneau (January 2, 1752 – December 18, 1832) was an American poet, nationalist, polemicist, sea captain and early American newspaper editor sometimes called the "Poet of the American Revolution". Through his Philadelphia-b ...
.
Awards
* 2013 –
Kean University
Kean University () is a public university in Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, Union, Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth, and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education and is a state-designated rese ...
Distinguished Alumni Award
* 2012 – New York TANYS Award for Excellence in Ensemble Acting,
for his portrayal of
Bud Abbott
William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man in the comedy duo Abbott and Costello.
Early life
Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New Jer ...
in The
Vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
in the
Catskills
The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...
show.
* 2006 – New York Festivals award for ''All Things Considered'', a tribute to
Joe Barbera
* 2004 – Silver Reel Award from the
National Federation of Community Broadcasters for his personal essay, "A Guy Named Joe Bevilacqua Audio".
* 2001 – New York Festivals award for ''Lady Bird Johnson: Legacy of a First Lady''
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
Joe Bevilacqua's Official Waterlogg Productions BloggWaterlogg Productions, Waterlogg DesignJoe Bevilacquaat
IMDb
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevilacqua, Joe
1959 births
Living people
American biographers
American male voice actors
American writers of Italian descent
Male actors from Newark, New Jersey
American male biographers
NPR personalities
Writers from Newark, New Jersey
American radio producers
American radio writers
XM Satellite Radio
American humorists