Bill Engvall is the master of finding humor in everyday situations. With his mantra of "Here's Your Sign," Bill's keen ability to connect with audiences has made him one of the most popular and busiest comedians today. Bill starred with Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy in the sketch comedy show, Blue Collar TV, on the WB Network. The show premiered on July 29, 2004, at 8 p.m., garnering 5.4 million viewers and making it the second most-watched show in that time period. He also shot a special for the WB Network, Mobile Home Disasters, which helped propel the network to one of its best Thursday nights of the season. A blue-collar version of Extreme Home Makeover, the episode completely transformed the mobile home of a deserving family. He also starred in Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie, the film based on the highly successful concert tour, which grossed more than $15 million and featured an ensemble cast of Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy. The movie premiered on Comedy Central in November 2003 and at the time was the highest rated movie in the channel's history. It is currently on DVD/VHS and has sold more than four million units. The sequel, Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again, was released on DVD on December 7, 2004, and has sold more than three million units. The movie premiered on Comedy Central on February 13, 2005, and was the third most-watched telecast ever for the network. The soundtrack was previously released on November 23, 2004, and debuted at number one on the Billboard Comedy Charts. The Blue Collar boys will reunite in March 2006 to shoot Blue Collar Comedy Tour, One For The Road in Washington, D.C., at the Warner Theater. The movie will have its world premiere on Comedy Central. In addition to performing live and in front of the camera, Bill is also an author. On October 4, 2005, he released his book, Here's Your Sign, through Rutledge Hill Press. It includes more than 200 classic "Here's Your Sign" jokes as well as silly product labels and some of Bill's favorite family stories. Bill's first DVD special, Here's Your Sign: Live, was filmed at the Grove in Anaheim. It aired on Comedy Central on August 1, 2004, and premiered to 3.6 million viewers. His first album, Here's Your Sign (Warner Bros.), was released in May 1996 and has been certified platinum, selling more than one million copies. The CD held the number one position on the Billboard Comedy Chart for 15 straight weeks. It went on to peak at number five on Billboard's Current Country Album Chart and reached the Top 50 on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart. Collaborating with musician Travis Tritt on a video also entitled, Here's Your Sign, Bill became a fixture on the play lists of CMT and TNN. The single of the same name became the most requested single on country radio. It was ranked number one on Billboard's Country Singles Sales Chart for 10 weeks and reached the Top 30 on Billboard's Singles Sales Chart, which covers all genres of music. The single also achieved gold status, an uncommon occurrence in the comedy market. In 1997, he won the "Best Selling Comedy Album Award" at the annual NARM convention, outselling albums by Chris Rock and Adam Sandler. Bill's second CD, Dorkfish (Warner Bros.), released in October 1998, was certified gold, sold more than 500,000 copies and had the honor of being ranked number one on Billboard's Comedy Chart, surpassing Jerry Seinfeld's album. In December 1999, Warner Bros. released Here's Your Christmas, Bill's third album filled with songs destined to become Christmas classics: "Rudolph Got A DUI," "I Am Being Sued By Santa Claus," and Bill's all-time favorite, "Fruitcake Makes Me Puke." His fourth comedy album, Now That's Awesome! (BNA Records/Nashville), released in 2000, topped Billboard's Comedy Charts at number one and was highlighted in USA Today. No matter how many records he sells, Bill says he will never give up performing live. "When you're doing stand-up, you achieve an intimacy with the audience you can't get on television. There's not a better feeling in the entire world than when you look out and see the audience is identifying with you." A native of Galveston, TX, Bill moved to Dallas and worked as a disc jockey with dreams of becoming a teacher. But fate held a different plan for him. One evening, he went to a nightclub and decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy. He quickly found that making people laugh was his forte and soon after moved to Los Angeles. Bill got his big break in 1989 on the Showtime special, A Pair of Jokers, with Rosie O'Donnell. He then hosted A&E's Evening at the lmprov and made several appearances on The Tonight Show and the Late Show with David Letterman. In 1992, he won the American Comedy Award for "Best Male Stand-up Comedian." After appearing in several episodes of Designing Women, he portrayed Buck Overton on the spin-off ABC sitcom, Delta, starring Delta Burke, thus solidifying his status as a sought-after comic. He also starred in the NBC series, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, in which he played Jeff's best friend. Bill resides in Southern California with his wife and two children. For additional information, visit his website at www.billengvall.com. |
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