Fine Fellas Friday: From Navy Vet to Quality Comedy King

Fine Fellas Friday: From Navy Vet to Quality Comedy King 

Comedy, the ability to make someone laugh is a special gift. It’s even more epic if you can do that in front of a live audience, and not break a sweat. Quincy Carr knows this all too well. He’s been in the comedy business for over 22 years and is known in Hampton Roads as the Quality Comedy King. His gift of laughter has taken him across the world and helped him develop a growing comedy tour. We at Good Girl Chronicles decided Quincy Carr was the perfect guy for this week’s Fine Fella’s Friday Feature. A moment where we pause to give it up for men who are doing extraordinary things in their community. 

Here’s our interview with Quincy Carr:

 

I understand that you are a veteran. How many years did you serve? What made you turn to comedy? I served for nearly 4 years. My naval career was cut short due to an injury on my first ship. Comedy was something I’ve always wanted to do. I was the typical class clown and the "funny guy", disrupter as an adult on the job. Strangely I never once considered pursuing an entertainment career until a co-worker at my first civilian job after the Navy, asked if I considered being a comedian. I decided to give it a shot and fell in love with the art immediately. 

Were you always the funny kid in class? No not all the time. But I was the person who people remembered as always trying to be funny. 

 You are also unique in that you do clean comedy, why is this important to you? My mother asked me not to be raunchy unnecessarily. Although I didn't fully listen in the beginning, I quickly realized I was being compared to my peers, as more clean than raunchy even if I cursed. Then I started getting booked to perform at churches. My club material would still work because those curse words were not what made the jokes the funniest. and that led me to create my own brand of comedy "Quality Comedy" which is family friendly & clean adult comedy everyone can enjoy whether in the club or church. 

Carr has a popular comedy show in Hampton Roads called ‘The Quality Comedy Series’. He started the show at the popular Virginia Beach Funny Bone in 2017 and moved the show to Dave & Busters in Virginia Beach six and a half years later. 

 Tell me about your show at Dave & Busters? Although I'm grateful for those early years at the comedy club, the change of venues really took Virginia's only night of live clean adult stand up to a whole new level and after 15 months of no shows due to Covid, I'm preparing for my 12th season. 

 The Quality Comedy Show is a part show and part competition. Audience members vote for the best comedian of the show. 

How did you come up with the competitive aspect? Plain and simple, it's the "middle child syndrome" LOL. No, honestly, I was never given anything and with my flaws, including physical and speech limitations, I had to face a lot of obstacles alone. I think that made me the person many others see today regarding my driven work ethic, confidence, and positive mentality regarding my pursuit of happiness. 

You're doing some cool things with your show now, tell us more about that? The virtual component and the multiple Dave and Busters deal. It's so cool to see all the challenges I faced during the pandemic manifesting as we're coming out on the other end. I am starting a new partnership with the streaming platform TGX Live to finally stream my shows live each month for those still not comfortable with being out in public and for those out of the area to finally see it live for themselves. The second thing is that I've officially expanded to the Dave & Busters in Charlotte for future shows. But make no mistake, Virginia Beach remains the home of the Quality Comedy Series. 

You're also a father and husband. Tell us a little about your family life. Overall, it’s private, but my daughter is my legacy and I want to build something she can be proud of and even continue it forward after I'm gone. My wife has been there since day one and has sacrificed so much especially in the last 10 years as I rebranded myself and pushed even harder to become fully self-employed. I love and appreciate them both so much for their continuous support and tell them often. 

Quincy is also a barber, co-host of a local show called Living 757, and somehow keeps it all together. 

How do you balance it all - barber, dad, comedian, show host? It's a lot! When others look at it all, I know it seems like it's a lot of work to juggle. But my business of Quincy Carr, Inc. is all about Quality Entertainment & Barber Services. This is what I'm passionate about... Delivering quality! Although I know it's work, I never feel like giving up or stopping because I love what I've created and the freedom it provides me. 

Fine Fellas Friday is about featuring men doing amazing things in our community. - what message would you like to share? Anything inspirational? Or pursuing dreams? I'll say this, Keep God first, and if it ain’t fun, you'll forget why you liked it in the first place. And whatever you forget, it's lost. Once it's lost, it takes some time to find it and bring it back and time is not on your side to waste. Remember it's not always about the financial gain when pursuing anything. That includes your career, relationships, and overall happiness. It's about the passion you have to be happy with who you are first!

Check out some of Quincy's material and if you want to see a show go to his website www.quincycarr.com