COMIC BRINGS CLEAN LAUGHS; VETERAN PERFORMER A JILL OF ALL TRADES.

Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer

When Irene Stokes examines her 34 years in the entertainment industry, the Canyon Country woman and mother of six compares herself to a role player on the legendary New York Yankees.

``Everyone knows Babe Ruth, but not many can tell you who else was on the team,'' the singer/dancer/musician/comedian said. ``And that's been my story, I've done so much but I've never been able to hit the home run and be the big star.''

Considered by many in the industry to be multitalented with the ambition and drive to make her mark as an entertainer, Stokes said her passion as a performer has pervaded every aspect of her life since childhood.

Playing several different musical instruments as well as trying her hand at dancing and singing, the energetic Stokes never found her niche until she met vaudeville comic Mantan Moreland in 1964.

Moreland spotted Stokes at the then popular York club in downtown Los Angeles while she was waiting tables and singing.

``He got me started in the comic business at a club owned by comedians Redd Foxx and Bill Cosby on La Brea and La Cienega,'' Stokes said.

One night, while doing stand-up comedy at the club, Foxx approached Stokes and encouraged her to focus on her singing and give up comedy.

``He told me I was too cute to be a comic,'' Stokes said. ``He said a comic has to be ugly with missing teeth.''

After seeing more of her act, Foxx relented. And not only did Stokes make appearances on his hit show ``Sanford and Son,'' Foxx became her manager during the 1960s.

The breaks began to come for the Cleveland-born comic, whose credits include Cosby's and Sidney Poitier's 1970s box office smash ``Uptown Saturday Night,'' and Oscar-winning producer Jonathan Demme's (``Silence of the Lambs'') first film ``Women in Cages.''

Marshall Ferguson, Stokes' latest manager of more than three years, said her energy and love for the business is what propels her among the elite in comedy.

``She's a very gregarious and sincere person who is not only funny but very dedicated,'' he said.

Ferguson said many are amazed that although Stokes has worked with some of the biggest names in show business, she manages to stay grounded.

``She's a loving, caring, energetic person who cares about people. She's been an aunt, sister, mother and grandmother to me,'' Ferguson said.

Stokes, who grew up watching celebrities such as Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge and Eartha Kitt, has performed in front of thousands while opening shows for Stevie Wonder, Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles and others.

A graduate of John Adams High School in Cleveland, Stokes studied acting and comedy at the American Film Institute in Hollywood.

``I wanted to be in a business where you can achieve a lot of things. Everyone has different goals but my goal, my main goal, was always to make people laugh,'' Stokes said.

``Today people are so depressed, you hear so much about kids killing kids and they have nothing to laugh about,'' she said.

A single mother of six, Stokes was determined to give her own children a chance at success. Her son, Chris Stokes, has become one of Hollywood's most respected music producers and directors while daughter Juanita (known in the music industry as Smooth) has a hit single, ``Strawberries,'' currently climbing the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

``I'm excited about their success, they are very respected in the industry and they were able to overcome the obstacles I couldn't,'' Stokes said.

Like his mom, Chris has worked with some of the industry's hottest superstars including Patti Labelle, Usher, Brandy and Smooth while managing the pop group Immature.

``He's hit the home run,'' Irene Stokes said. ``He can go and pick up a $100,000 check whereas I've never seen $100,000.''

One reason Stokes said she hasn't been able to hit the ``home run'' in comedy is because her act is often criticized as being too clean.

She said she's been given many opportunities to make a lot of money, but refuses to use offensive language. ``At this point, I just want to help others and make people laugh,'' Stokes said.

The comedian, who doesn't reveal her age - ``only that I'm an old woman'' - enjoys relaying a story about her 7-year-old granddaughter as it relates to helping others.

``She said to me once, `Nana, could you get me some candy out of your candy dish,' '' Stokes said. ``I said, reach your hand in there and get a handful, baby. She said to me `no, Nana I want you to reach your hand in there because your hand is bigger.' ''

``That's the kind of thing that makes me happy, to help someone and make them happy and make them laugh,'' Stokes said.

Stokes, who writes a monthly column for the teen magazine Fresh, will open a fund-raiser show in Las Vegas July 5 for the activist group Mothers Against Violence, which will feature soul singer Shirley Murdock and pop groups Heatwave, Confunction and others.

``She's clean, she does a family show with a lot of charisma,'' said Richard Ransom of Cosmos Entertainment, the promoters of the Vegas show.

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PHOTO Canyon Country comic Irene Stokes says her main goal is to ``a lways to make people laugh.''

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News