A seasoned comedian, a talented entertainer, and a gifted piano player, Floyd Vivino has been entertaining audiences for more than 40 years. However, Floyd is a lot younger than people may think, having started in show-biz as a teenager in 1968.Known primarily for his influential comedy/variety television program The Uncle Floyd Show, which ran more than 4,000 original episodes from 1974 to 1998, Floyd “Uncle Floyd” Vivino is a genuine show-biz veteran.
Today Floyd performs as a stand-up comedian, emcee, opening act, and musical entertainer on stage and in nightclubs in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and all over the New York/New Jersey area, in addition to appearances at all sorts of public events and private functions. In addition, Floyd hosts Garage Sale Music, a weekly radio show on WVOX and WFDU, as well as taking the occasional film role. Always in demand, Floyd is booked well in advance and plays hundreds of dates each year.
Floyd’s greatest talent is his versatility. His comedy transcends all age groups, ethnicities and demographics. One night he’ll be joking in Italian for an Italian-American audience, the next night he’ll play to a late-night crowd at a rowdy night spot, then an afternoon dinner theater production for seniors. There is no audience Floyd can’t entertain. As the top banana in Uncle Floyd’s Last Authentic American Traveling Burlesque Show, Floyd recreated the lost American art form (for adults only) that had all but disappeared from theaters today. Floyd also headlined a sister show called The Last American Variety Show starring Uncle Floyd and His Friends, an old-fashioned vaudeville revue that’s fun for the whole family.
The legendary Uncle Floyd Show ran for 24 years on local television and in syndication, and featured Floyd’s trademark style of honky-tonk piano, as well as his amazing arsenal of comedy characters. Among the hundreds of guests on the TV show are such popular performers such as The Ramones, Bon Jovi, Chubby Checker, Monty Python, Davy Jones and Peter Tork of The Monkees, Cyndi Lauper, Eddie Money, David Johansen, The Smithereens, Jan & Dean, Squeeze, Dave Edmunds, Rick Derringer, Benny Bell and Tiny Tim. Fans of the TV show included John Lennon and David Bowie (who wrote a song about Floyd called “Slip Away” on a recent CD).
In films, Floyd has acted alongside stars including Robin Williams, Paul Simon, Matt Dillon, Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah. On network television, Floyd had roles on Law & Order and Cosby, among many others. Mercury Records released an Uncle Floyd record album, in addition to a number of singles Floyd released on his own including “Deep In The Heart of Jersey” by his alter ego Cowboy Charlie, a favorite on the Dr. Demento radio show. Steeped in the traditions of Tin Pan Alley, Floyd is able to perform literally hundreds of pop songs and novelties from the early part of the Twentieth Century. Floyd set a Guinness World’s Record for Continuous Piano Playing by playing (and singing!) some 700 songs in a 24-hour period in front of a live audience
