Big Daddy Graham Biography – Big Daddy Graham Wiki
Big Daddy Graham born Edward Gudonis was a comedian, writer, actor, recording artist, and sports radio personality on 94 WIP-FM in Philadelphia. He was a performer of comedy for over 35 years at clubs, colleges, corporate and private parties, as well as banquets and fundraisers. His show, Two Funny Philly Guys, with fellow comedian Joe Conklin, has played in theaters such as the 1,000 seat Borgata Music Box in Atlantic City and The Broadway Theater in Pitman, New Jersey. He has also featured on Showtime, MTV, A&E, and has been voted Philadelphia’s funniest comedian by Philly Magazine and other publications a total of 15 times.
He also supported eighteen members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, and B.B. King.
For over twenty years, Graham has been a full-time host on sports talk radio station 94 WIP. He was also a co-host on 1210 AM’s The Sports Attack with Scott Graham and Neil Hartman, where he interviewed sports personalities. He started recording a podcast, Big Daddy Graham’s Classic Rock Throwdown, on Wildfire Radio in 2014. As of August 2017, he has recorded over 170 episodes, counting down songs as they relate to a particular topic each week.
Last Call, the book Graham wrote about his father, has sold over 30,000 copies in the Philadelphia area. He adapted the Last Call into a one-man show, which he has performed to audiences at Society Hill Playhouse and the Media Theatre. He authored and produced a collection of pet peeves set to music known as Oooh, I Hate That! which at one point ran on over 100 stations nationwide. Graham co-authored The Great Book of Philadelphia Sports Lists with Glen Macnow, which has sold over 40,000 copies. He was also a writer of the back page for South Jersey Magazine, 7 Mile Magazine, and the Sea Isle Times. He has also written for City Paper and CSNPhilly.com.
Graham has also performed as Oscar in three productions of The Odd Couple and was a member of TROUP, a federally funded group of twelve actors who performed up and down the east coast at prisons, homes of the elderly, playgrounds, and libraries for over two years. He also made an appearance in a production of Androcles and the Lion as the lion.
His Big Daddy’s Big List has been a staple on Comcast SportsNet’s Philly Sports Talk, as well as many other television and radio shows. List ran every Tuesday night for over five years on Lou Tilley’s Sports Connection. Graham can also be seen once a week on Fox TV’s Good Day Philadelphia.
In 1984, WMMR’s ground-breaking Morning Zoo picked up the satirical recording of his Catholic School upbringing, “Nuns!”His song “Let’s Call In Sick” has been heard on over 300 radio stations across the country and is still played today on Monday mornings. Graham’s songs have sold over 100,000 copies between three albums and four CDs. He was born in Southwest Philadelphia and went to study at the West Catholic High School.
Big Daddy Graham Age
He was born on May 29, 1953, in Southwest Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and died on September 8, 2021. He was 68.
Big Daddy Graham Wife
He was a resident of Mullica Hill, New Jersey with his wife, Debbie.
Big Daddy Graham Children
He was a father of two daughters, Keely and Ava Graham, who is part of the WIP radio family. He also left behind two grandchildren, Jameson and Lucy.
Big Daddy Graham Accident
In July 2019, he underwent emergency spinal cord surgery. His spine endured major trauma, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
Big Daddy Graham Death
He died on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. He was 68. SportsRadio 94WIP announced his death on Thursday morning. “WIP lost one of its best people, and this city lost one of its cherished, most talented entertainers,” morning show host Angelo Cataldi said to start his Thursday show, according to the radio station. ‘We all here at WIP are devastated by the news.”
Among those, he leaves behind is his daughter, Ava Graham, who is part of the WIP radio family. She tweeted photos with her father: “I have no words right now other than I love you Dad.”
His longtime colleague Glen Macnow remembered his friend as “a gem of a man” who was sweet and had “no filter.” He wrote on Twitter, “I learned last night of the passing of my friend Big Daddy Graham. A gem of a man. A diamond in the rough. A funny, hard-working, and quirky sweetheart of a guy with no filter. My pal, my co-author. We will all miss him.”
Big Daddy Graham Cause of Death
The cause of his death has not been revealed yet, but Graham has battled health issues in recent years.
