Grady Nutt

Grady Lee Nutt (September 2, 1934 – November 23, 1982) was a Southern Baptist minister, humorist, television personality, and author. His humor revolved around rural Southern Protestantism and earned him the title of "The Prime Minister of Humor".[1]

Grady Nutt
Birth nameGrady Lee Nutt
Born(1934-09-02)September 2, 1934
Amarillo, Texas
DiedNovember 23, 1982(1982-11-23) (aged 48)
Vinemont, Alabama
MediumTelevision
Recordings
Books
Speaking engagements
NationalityUnited States
Subject(s)Christian comedy
SpouseEleanor Wilson (1957-1982; by his death)

Childhood and early career

Grady Lee Nutt was born in Amarillo, Texas, the oldest of four children (three sons and a daughter) born to Grady C. and Doris (née Rickman) Nutt. Reared in a family of devout Baptists, Nutt was a licensed minister by the age of 13.[2]

Nutt briefly attended Wayland Baptist College in Plainview, Texas, before transferring to Baylor University.[2] Immediately after graduation, he married Eleanor Wilson and served as youth minister of the First Baptist Church of Waco and later at Gaston Avenue Baptist Church in Dallas.[2]

In 1960, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to attend the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he simultaneously pastored churches in the Louisville metro area.[2] Following his graduation in 1964, he served as director of alumni affairs and assistant to the president of Southern Seminary.[3]

Entertainment career

While serving as a minister and seminary administrator, Nutt began accepting speaking engagements. His speeches were blended with humor, and he came to the attention of Ralph Edwards, the producer of the popular TV series Truth or Consequences and This Is Your Life.[2] He was soon a semi-regular on The Mike Douglas Show.[4]

In 1979, he was added to the regular cast of Hee Haw, a position he held until his death. On Hee Haw, he was given 90 – 120 seconds in which he would do an improvised routine.[5]

In 1981, he was cast as Rev. Grady Williams in a pilot for an NBC sitcom called The Grady Nutt Show.[1] The episode dealt with Rev. Williams being called to preach the funeral of a man disliked by the entire community, and dealing with his teenage daughter's foray into dating.[6] The 30-minute pilot was broadcast on NBC, but had not been put into production as a series at the time of his death.

During his career, he published several books, including The Gospel According to Norton and an autobiography entitled So Good, So Far; he also released several comedic records and one Southern Gospel album, Give the World A Smile.[7]

Death and legacy

On November 23, 1982, following a speaking engagement in Cullman, Alabama, Nutt boarded a chartered flight (a Beechcraft Baron 55, aircraft registration number N18411).[8] The plane crashed immediately after takeoff, killing Nutt, the pilot and the co-pilot.[1] The cause of the crash was undetermined, although weather conditions (fog and rain) were cited as contributing factors in the accident.[8] He was buried on the Wilson family farm in Fayette County, Tennessee.

Following his death, the Gospel Music Association established the Grady Nutt Humor award to excellence in Christian comedy.[9]

His widow has established the Grady Nutt Endowment Fund at the University of Louisville, which offers an annual prize of $400 to the most creative fine arts project.[10] and a Grady Nutt memorial collection was established in the student center at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.

Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, named the Grady Nutt Athletic Center in his honor.[11]

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References
  1. Reuters (Wire Service) (November 25, 1982). "Grady Nutt, TV Humorist Dies with 2 Other in Plane Crash". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  2. Anderson, H. Allen (n.d.). "Grady Lee Nutt". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  3. "Grady Nutt Collection" (undated). Archives and Special Collections. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  4. Grady Nutt on IMDb
  5. "Interview with Grady Nutt. Bywords (Episode 196). Kentucky Educational Television. 1981 (original air-date unknown). Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  6. "The Grady Nutt Show". Yahoo!TV. Yahoo. n.d. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  7. "Grady Nutt: Author Search"]. Library of Congress Catalog.
  8. "Accident Report, Cullman, Alabama". National Transportation Safety Board November 23, 1982. Retrieved February 1, 2009
  9. Trisha Whitehead. "GMA Announces special Awards" Archived 2010-04-07 at the Wayback Machine Gospel Music Association
  10. Pugh, Ronnie (2005). "Grady Nutt". In W.K. McNeil (ed.). Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Rutledge. p. 281.
    - Competition for The Grady Nutt Prize. University of Louisville
  11. Athletic Facilities Archived 2009-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, Alice Lloyd College
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