Source: ZaNaria Bowens / Radio One
On Wednesday (Sept 27), comedian, actor and author Cedric The Entertainer, visited H-Town to hang with fans and detail the inspiration behind his debut novel, the crime-caper, Flipping Boxcars.
The St. Louis native appeared at Rock House Southern Kitchen for a Q&A session, meet and greet and wine tasting event while delving into the book, loosely based on stories he heard about his grandfather. Now available for preorder on Amazon Prime, Flipping Boxcars serves as a memoir tracing Cedric’s family lineage during the Great Depression and World War II.
Source: ZaNaria Bowens / Radio One
“What I do as a brand, a comedian, not only on a stand-up stage, but I have commercials, produce, write movies, and now can write a book. I create for my family, other people, and the community as whole,” Cedric said.
At 59 years old, Cedric, a powerhouse in the world of comedy, reflects on his transition in life, allowing him to share the “family histories” passed down to him about his late dapper-dan grandfather, Floyd “Babe” Boyce. In the book, Babe is portrayed as a spiffy man who developed friendships with politicians. Although Cedric initially wrote the book with a television show in mind, he dedicates it to his favorite character, Babe, and his grandmother, whose character’s name remains unknown.
As a teaser for “Flipping Box Cars,” readers learned about his grandfather’s role as a businessman who owned restaurants, a hotel, and hustled for the family during economic hardships, laying the foundation for the Cedric The Entertainer we know today and preserving his family legacy.
During the Q&A session, guests had the opportunity to sample Cedric’s handcrafted red wine, Setta, which is dedicated to his late mother, Rosetta Boyce Kyles.
Comedians Anthony Anderson, Eddie Griffin, Marlon Wayans, and others celebrated Cedric’s new book with a video presentation shown before guests had photo ops with Cedric.
