Craig Shoemaker

Craig was born on November 15, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended college at The California University of Pennsylvania and Temple  University in Philadelphia where he majored in radio, television and film. The first people who heard Craig honing his craft were the listeners of is morning radio show on WVCS, 91.9. Hard to believe he’s gone from that humble five thousand watt station to being named one of the top funniest of all-time on XM Satellite Radio . While trying his hand at theater, Craig was given the lead in several plays at California University- not always with such great results. During his nervous debut, about to sing Something’s Coming, he felt a warmth come over his body. In front of a packed Steele Theatre, Craig wet his beige pants! "So began his comedy career."


After college, while working at a law firm he found himself being the lunch room entertainment. His specialty was doing impressions of the lawyers and other co-workers. A devoted fan of his lunchtime antics, one of the clerks asked him to perform comedy between sets for his band. "So I went to West Philly, it was 110 degrees at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. In the audience I had eight friends that I had bribed with free drinks and a hundred strangers fanning themselves wondering why I  was there. I was on stage for ten minutes - I got one laugh - and I was hooked!"

Craig then started working out of Grandma Minnie's Comedy Club and  Starr's Night Club in Philadelphia. As a neophyte comedian, his first  paying gig was at Rick's Cabaret on the Society Hill part of town. He was the bartender doubling as the show's emcee. He would put all drink orders on hold then jump up on stage after each comic had finished. The better the performance he gave, the better the tips. Quickly, Philadelphia Magazine recognized him for his abilities as an impressionist and gave him an award for "Best Comedian/Impressionist" in Philadelphia.

Craig's television debut was on AM Philadelphia. The host was Dave Roberts, the father of Dave Boreanez from the WB's Angel. 'Creeping' his way into show business, he became a regular on Saturday Night Dead, a  classic horror flick program featuring the buxom host Stella 'The  Man-eater from Manayunk'.

Next, Craig wrote and starred in two comedy shorts for PRISM Entertainment which won him two NATAS Emmy Awards. In the late 80's, Craig finally moved to Los Angeles with a duffel bag full of clothes and a dream. He landed the opportunity to tour as a comic with Kenny Loggins. While touring and trying out all his new material on the band, he found his calling card alter-ego: The Love Master. A club owner in San Jose suggested he use the name on the marquee. Now Craig believes it's a curse. "No one knows my name.  Everyone on the street asks if I'm the Love Maker...Love Machine...Love Monkey. But the Love Master has meant so much to my career that I usually talk about him in the 3rd person, because it feels like a different person's spirit that channels through me. He's what every man wants to be - and what every woman wants if she's really honest with herself."

From his humble beginnings, Craig became a national sensation on the comedy circuit. He won "Comedian of the Year" at the American Comedy  Awards on ABC. Previous winners were Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Foxworthy and Jerry Seinfield. "I guess this means I'll have a sitcom about a gay  red-neck in a show about nothing." He performs for millions of people  every year. He is regularly heard on hundreds of radio stations across the country, can be seen on television and in films. In the late 90's, Craig ran into his ex-girlfriend Carolyn Clark, a soap opera star, from Guiding Light and As The World Turns. Craig happily boasts that they were married, pregnant and homeowners within six weeks.  Their son Justin was born in 1998.

Craig admits, "Now my act is the twisted true story of how The Love Master has become The Diaper Master."

 



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