Jimmie Walker, May 24

Friday, May 24, 7 p.m.

Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room, 7077 Elmore Avenue, Davenport IA

The originator of one of the most indelible and popular sitcom characters of all time, the “Dy-no-mite!” Jimmie Walker of the 1970s classic Good Times brings his nationally touring standup set to Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Rhythm Room on May 24, the Golden Globe-nominated comedian/actor's credits also including guests stints on Emmy winners The Larry Sanders Show, Cagney & Lacey, and Scrubs.

Now 76, Walker was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the Bronx, and through a New York State-funded program known as SEEK (Search for Education, Evaluation, and Knowledge), he entered into the field of radio engineering with WRVR, the radio station of the Riverside Church. In 1967, Walker began working full-time with WRVR, and two years alter, he started performing as a standup comedian. A friend introduced him to The Last Poets, a group dedicated to performing militant poetry who needed an opening act. After a successful audition, Walker opened for the Poets at the East Wind in Harlem on New Year's Eve. He did five minutes of standup, floored the crowd of 350, and stayed with the Poets for 18 months while he built his act and gained confidence as a performer. He was eventually discovered by the casting director for Good Times following appearances on Rowan & Martin's Laugh In and The Jack Paar Show, and the role of the broadly strutting, wisecracking J.J. Evans would launch him into television superstardom, with his catchphrase "Dyn-o-mite!" making Walker nationwide.

As Good Times enjoyed a six-year run, Walker's fame grew exponentially. He was the first winner of the NAACP Image Award, and won a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He appeared on The Mac Davis Show, Donny and Marie, The John Davidson Show, The Merv Griffin Show, Dinah, The Mike Douglas Show, The Hollywood Squares, and Match Game. Clothing, T-shirts and even a talking doll that blurted out his signature catch phrase were soon on store shelves everywhere. Yet even with his demanding schedule, Walker continued to appear as the headliner at top comedy clubs, including the world famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles, with his joke-writing team including a young David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Byron Allen. He became such a major celebrity in the 1970s that Time magazine named him "Comedian of the Decade."

Following Good Times' end in 1979, Walker landed roles in films including Airplane! and the Robert De Niro showcase The Comedian, and in recent years, he has made scene-stealing appearances on Scrubs, The George Lopez Show, and Everybody Hates Chris. Yet despite Walker's continued success on big and small screens, as well as with his 2012 autobiography Dynomite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times, standup comedy remains his first love. The artist currently tours the country performing live 35 to 45 weeks a year, in addition to guesting on game shows and late-night television.

Jimmie Walker brings his standup tour to Davenport's Rhythm Room on May 24, admission to the 7 p.m. comedy set is $25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)328-8000 and visiting RhythmCityCasino.com.