William Ray "Bill" Engvall, Jr.
(born July 27, 1957) [1] is an American comedian best known for his work as a stand-up comic and as a member of the Blue Collar Comedy group. In 2007 TBS began airing his sitcom The Bill Engvall Show
. He has released multiple comedy albums on Warner Bros. Records as well.
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BILL ENGVALL TICKETS
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Biography
Early life
Engvall was born in
Galveston, Texas. He attended
Richardson High School in
Richardson,
Texas. He attended
Southwestern University in
Georgetown, Texas, where he was a member of Xi Chapter of the
Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. A staff member confirmed that Bill Engvall worked at Inner Space Caverns there many years ago when he was attending college. Engvall stated this in his 2007 autobiography, Just a Guy, but he provides no details of the experience. He also briefly mentioned this in one of the Blue Collar Comedy Tours. He left college, though, to pursue a career in the world of comedy.
Personal life
Bill and Gail Engvall have been married since 1982. They have a daughter named Emily, a senior at the
University of Puget Sound, as well as a son, Travis. Both appear regularly in his humor.
Career
Engvall began his career on the sitcom
Designing Women
. He hit his first big break when he went on
The Tonight Show
with
Johnny Carson, and from there won the American Comedy Awards Comic of the Year. He then joined the cast of
Delta Burke's self-titled
Designing Women
spinoff, which lasted for one year. He then began producing his own albums. Before becoming a well-known comedian, Engvall joined the popular talent show
Star Search
.
Engvall toiled in relative obscurity for several years, hitting a low point while starring as "CHUD #14" in the film
C.H.U.D.
, until he turned his most famous routine, "Here's Your Sign," into a song by country music star
Travis Tritt.
He has appeared on
The Jeff Foxworthy Show
alongside best friend and fellow comic
Jeff Foxworthy, with whom he starred in the hit film
Blue Collar Comedy Tour
(as well as its sequels and spin-off TV show). In the films and TV shows, Engvall performed his standup alongside Foxworthy,
Ron White, and
Larry the Cable Guy.
Comedy
Overall, Engvall has released eight comedy albums, seven on
Warner Bros. Records and one on
BNA Records. His debut,
Here's Your Sign
, is certified platinum by the
RIAA, while 1998's
Dorkfish
is certified gold.
Discography
Albums
| Year
| Title
| Chart Positions
| RIAA
|
| US Country
| US
| US Comedy
|
| 1996
| Here's Your Sign
A
| 5
| 50
|
| Platinum
|
| 1998
| Dorkfish
| 16
| 119
|
| Gold
|
| 1999
| Here's Your Christmas Album
B
| 44
|
|
|
|
| 2000
| Now That's Awesome
| 14
| 133
|
|
|
| 2002
| Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography
| 37
|
|
|
|
| 2003
| Here's Your Sign Reloaded
| 37
|
| 12
|
|
| 2004
| A Decade of Laughs
| 27
| 183
| 1
|
|
| 2007
| 15° Off Cool
| 16
| 93
| 1
|
|
- AHere's Your Sign
peaked at #3 on Top Heatseekers.
- BHere's Your Christmas Album
peaked at #33 on Top Holiday Albums. It was re-released in 2005.
Singles
In a manner similar to
Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall has recorded songs which feature his comedy sketches set to music, with a chorus sung by another artist.
| Year
| Title
| Chart Positions
| Album
|
| US Country
| US
| CAN Country
|
| 1997
| "Here's Your Sign (Get the Picture)" (with Travis Tritt)
| 29
| 43
| 72
| Here's Your Sign
|
| "Warning Signs" (with John Michael Montgomery)
| 56
|
|
| single only
|
| 1998
| "It's Hard to Be a Parent"
| 72
|
|
|
| "I'm a Cowboy"
| 60
|
|
| Dorkfish
|
| "Here's Your Sign Christmas"
| 50
|
|
| Dorkfish
/ Here's Your Christmas Album
|
| 1999
| "Here's Your Sign Christmas" (re-entry)
| 39
|
|
|
| "Hollywood Indian Guides"
| 72
|
|
| single only
|
| 2000
| "Here's Your Sign Christmas" (re-entry)
| 46
|
|
| Dorkfish
/ Here's Your Christmas Album
|
| "Blue Collar Dollar" (with Jeff Foxworthy and Marty Stuart)
| 63
|
|
| Blue Collar Comedy Tour
|
"Now That's Awesome"
(with Neal McCoy, Tracy Byrd and T. Graham Brown)
| 59
|
|
| Now That's Awesome
|
| "Shoulda Shut Up"
| 71
|
|
|
List of works
Bibliography
- Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life
St. Martin's Press ISBN 0312362676 (2007)
Filmography
- Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie
(2003)
- Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again
(2004)
- Blue Collar TV
(2004)
- Mobile Home Disaster
(2005)
- Country Fried Home Videos (Host)
(2006-Present)
- Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the Road
(2006)
- The Bill Engvall Show
(2007-Present)
- Delta Farce
(2007)
- Bait Shop
(2008)
- Country Fried Planet
(2008)
- Celebrity Family Feud
(2008)
- Strawberry Wine
(2009)
References
- {{imdb name|id=0257821}}