"The Mayberry Deputy", "Abe Lincoln", and
"Ebenezer Scrooge" are just a few of the aliases of David Browning
from Bristol, Virginia. As an impersonator, improvisational master
and speaker, Browning uses costuming, gestures, facial expressions, and audience
participation to bring out the flavor of the characters and to provide an
atmosphere of good, clean fun. He provides a bit of Americana which is worth
preserving and celebrating.
"The Mayberry Deputy"
is the most noted of his characters and started in 1988 when a friend of
Browning hired The Dillards, known to watchers of "The Andy Griffith
Show" as the "Darling boys", to play bluegrass music in Bristol, Tennessee.
Browning, who started out in community theatre, put together a "Barney Fife"
type act based on a sense of recall (since Browning has seen all the Mayberry
shows at one time or another) which made that first performance a hit. At
that time, he discovered that he could make a statement as David Browning
that was not funny at all but the same statement made in uniform as "The
Mayberry Deputy" had audiences falling out of their seats.
Soon after, Browning was asked by "The
Andy Griffith Show" Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC) to perform at
a Mayberry Reunion held at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. TAGSRWC
founder, Jim Clark, saw Browning's act and began mentioning his name across
the country. Browning has been embraced as "The Mayberry Deputy" by
small and large groups in 35 states with continued referrals and request
every where he goes.
Browning traveled to Nashville
to appear in Confederate Railroad's video,
"Elvis & Andy." He feels that video is as good to an actor as
a book is to an author. Browning has also appeared with many of the original
stars of "The Andy Griffith Show." Another connection to country music is
Browning appearance at the "60 Million Sales Party" thrown for musics all-time
sales leader, Garth Brooks.
At an international event an officer from Scotland remarked, "I'd
never seen "The Andy Griffith Show" but I still had tears of laughter
rolling down my cheeks...this was a great way to have fun & fellowship
and build a feeling of togetherness - through shared experience."
People are entertained and enlightened by the Mayberry Deputy
character because it reminds them of a time gone by. "We live in a world
where people are searching for their own Mayberry," Browning says. "I value
this character for what it gives people today....a laugh, a lift and memories."
