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Music Director for Mark Twain Prize

  • 3 min read

Music Director for Mark Twain Prize

Crispin Cioe serves as TV Music Director for and Saxophonist for the nationally televised Mark Twain Prize for American Humor honoring Eddie Murphy. The Mark Twain Prize broadcast is taped front of a packed house at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Stars Celebrate Eddie Murphy

Performers saluting and entertaining Eddie Murphy include Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Kathy Griffin, Trevor Noah and Arsenio Hall. Crispin Cioe is responsible for all the music for the Mark Twain Prize. The show features a dynamic vocal duet by soul man Sam Moore and Brittany Howard from  Alabama Shakes singing “Hold on (I’m Coming)”. Crispin has performed with the mighty Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave renown) for over 20+ years!

Eddie Murphy’s Accomplishments

Dave Eddie Murphy is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer who rose fame on Saturday Night Live (SNL) for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has also worked as a stand-up comedian and is ranked No. 10 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Standups of All Time.

A Teenage Stand-up Comic

Eddie Murphy was born on April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York. His mother was a telephone operator, His father was transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and actor. Growing up in New York City, Murphy focused more on mastering impressions and comedy stand-up routines rather than academics By the time he was fifteen, Murphy worked as a stand-up comic on the lower part of New York, captivating audiences with his impressions of celebrities and outlooks on life.

The Most Successful Black Actor in Motion Picture History

Murphy is the most commercially successful African-American actor in the history of the motion picture business, and is one of the industry’s top-five box-office performers overall. The Mark Twain honoree is on the very short list of actors who have starred in multiple $100 million pictures over the past three decades, from “Beverly Hills Cop” to “Daddy Day Care.” He is also the voice of Donkey in the Oscar-winning animated film “Shrek” and its sequel, “Shrek 2,” which is the top-grossing animated film of all time. Murphy was next seen in the heist comedy, “Tower Heist” in which he served as executive producer and co-stars with Ben Stiller.

TV Music Director for 7 Annual Mark Twain Prize Shows

In addition to this broadcast, Crispin Cioe has served as a Music Director for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor shows for 7 annual shows. In addition to Eddie Murphy, Crispin is the Music Director for The Mark Twain Prize shows honoring Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Murray, and George Carlin. Eddie Murphy: The Kennedy Center Presents the Mark Twain Prize concert airs nationally on PBS.

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