not really. I used to think that too until Richard Pryor said he never could tell a joke and that Rodney was one of the funniest joke-tellers he ever saw. Richard Pryor of all peopleYou mean comedian?
Redd Foxx and Jaime Foxx are also of that ilk...naturally funny, rapid-fire jokestersSteven Wright had some good one liners.
I feel you---especially in the 70s roasts. This was me and my cousin's first intro to him. We were blown away at the way he made fun of Jews...other than Howard Stern, it was/is rare (the nose joke)Redd foxx had one liners for days. Cosby was the opposite, he told jokes but they had long set ups. Don Rickles was funny but he tells too many racist jokes towards black folk