Jose Simon
Encyclopedia
Jose Simon was an American comedian and musician who founded Comedy Day in San Francisco and aided that city's reemergence of stand-up comedy starting in the 1970s.
Simon was born to a show business family of Cuban extraction in Mexico City , and was godson of film legend Cantinflas. He left Mexico City for San Francisco in 1959 and attended Galileo High School and San Francisco City College.
Within a couple years of arriving, he started performing with bands in the city's North Beach area, including a group called the Four of a Kind, which also featured future Tower of Power vocalist Rick Stevens and a founding member of Santana, conga player Michael Carabello .
Eventually he joined his first Latin Rock group, SAPO, and performed on their first album — for which he was later inducted into The Kings of Latin Rock.
Sometime in the early 1970s, Simons became involved with comedy through improvisation workshops conducted by The Committee and its director, Del Close
. This was also where Simon first met the young Robin Williams
.
Simon later suggested performing comedy at the Holy City Zoo
, a folk music club that ultimately hosted stand-up comedy full-time for more than a decade, and become a nationally known social center of stand-up comedy.
Simon then began pushing the idea of a free, outdoor, daytime comedy “concert.” This came to fruition as Comedy Day, first occurring in Golden Gate Park On July 11, 1981.
On February 16, 1994, the City of San Francisco declared Jose Simon Day. On September 30, 2007, before the 27th annual Comedy Day audience, Jose Simon received the San Francisco Stand-up Comedy Legend Award.
Simon was born to a show business family of Cuban extraction in Mexico City , and was godson of film legend Cantinflas. He left Mexico City for San Francisco in 1959 and attended Galileo High School and San Francisco City College.
Within a couple years of arriving, he started performing with bands in the city's North Beach area, including a group called the Four of a Kind, which also featured future Tower of Power vocalist Rick Stevens and a founding member of Santana, conga player Michael Carabello .
Eventually he joined his first Latin Rock group, SAPO, and performed on their first album — for which he was later inducted into The Kings of Latin Rock.
Sometime in the early 1970s, Simons became involved with comedy through improvisation workshops conducted by The Committee and its director, Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
. This was also where Simon first met the young Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
.
Simon later suggested performing comedy at the Holy City Zoo
Holy City Zoo
The Holy City Zoo was a small but influential comedy club in San Francisco that operated from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. It was considered the Cradle of Comedy Civilization for many comedians who passed through San Francisco during that era....
, a folk music club that ultimately hosted stand-up comedy full-time for more than a decade, and become a nationally known social center of stand-up comedy.
Simon then began pushing the idea of a free, outdoor, daytime comedy “concert.” This came to fruition as Comedy Day, first occurring in Golden Gate Park On July 11, 1981.
On February 16, 1994, the City of San Francisco declared Jose Simon Day. On September 30, 2007, before the 27th annual Comedy Day audience, Jose Simon received the San Francisco Stand-up Comedy Legend Award.