Deadpan standup comedian Bob Newhart, who died at age 94 on July 18, started out as an accountant, only to soon discover that his motto “that’s close enough” was hardly fitting for the trade. He began sending comedy audition tapes to radio stations and soon was signed to Warner Brothers Records. His first release, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart (1960), was wildly popular, becoming the first comedy album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and going on to win Newhart Grammys for Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Newhart released a number of comedy LPs through the ’60s and ’70s, and during that time he also made numerous TV appearances, including on The Dean Martin Show and as a host on Johnny Carson. He starred in the popular TV sitcom The Bob Newhart Show in the ’70s and Newhart in the ’80s, which received 25 Emmy nominations over its eight-year run.
Read the original article here