As tragic as Richard Pryor's life story may appear at a glance, his struggles and misfortune helped create and fuel the comedy in his act. Not until Pryor played himself on stage did his rise to the top truly begin. Without the pain and heartbreak he experienced, he may not have gotten there. Richard Pryor began his career in the 1960s, a time of change for civil rights as well as comedy, which was previously all about jokes. When Pryor got on stage and shared his observations, especially about the experiences of Black Americans, he was forging a revolutionary path in comedy.