Bill Engvall
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| Bill Engvall | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Ray Engvall, Jr. |
| Born | July 27, 1957 Galveston, Texas, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | Mary Gail Watson (1982-present) |
| Website | www.billengvall.com |
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.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] 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 there at Inner Space Caverns many years ago when he was attending college, quickly mentioned in Engvall's autobiography, "Just A Guy." 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.
[edit] Personal life
Bill and Gail Engvall have been married since December 18, 1982. They have a daughter named Emily (born 1986), a senior at the University of Puget Sound, as well as a son, Travis (born 1991), a freshman at Northern Arizona University. Both appear regularly in his humor.
[edit] Career
Engvall began his career on the sitcom Designing Women. He hit his first big break when he went on The Tonight Show Starring 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 series Delta, 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. The routine involves Bill offering "signs" to people to identify them as foolish upon them asking a redundant or obvious question.
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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | US Comedy | |||
| 1996 | Here's Your Sign[A]
|
5 | 50 | — |
|
| 1998 | Dorkfish
|
16 | 119 | — |
|
| 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 | |
| 2009 | Aged and Confused
|
29 | 159 | 2 | |
- Notes
- A ^ Here's Your Sign peaked at #3 on Top Heatseekers.
- B ^ Here's Your Christmas Album peaked at #33 on Top Holiday Albums. It was re-released in 2005.
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | |||
| 1997 | "Here's Your Sign (Get the Picture)" (with Travis Tritt) | 29 | 43 | 72 | single only |
| "Warning Signs" (with John Michael Montgomery) | 56 | — | — | ||
| 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 | — | — | ||
[edit] List of works
[edit] Bibliography
- Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life St. Martin's Press ISBN 0312362676 (2007)
[edit] Filmography
- 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)
[edit] References
- ^ Bill Engvall at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] External links
 |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bill Engvall |
- Bill Engvall at MySpace
- Official website
- Bill Engvall at the Internet Movie Database
- Bill Engvall cast bio on The WB
| Blue Collar Comedy |
|---|
| The Tour |
| The Movie • Rides Again • One for the Road |
| The Television Show |
| The Comedians |
| Jeff Foxworthy • Larry the Cable Guy • Bill Engvall • Ron White Reno Collier • Juston McKinney • Jamie Kaler • John Caparulo |
