Our guest today is the iconic actor and Comedian Bill Engvall. We discuss his over 40 year career, his role on Last Man Standing as "Reverend Paul" the Blue Collar tour and so much more. He is honest about how the pandemic has effected his life and performing, what the future may hold., considering if and when to call it quits! Enjoy this exclusive interview!
The thing that makes any entertainer successful is the ability to connect with an audience. It’s the quality of sharing the humor in everyday situations that has made Bill Engvall one of the top comedians today – and one of the busiest.
Although he currently resides in Park City, Utah with his wife, Engvall is a native of Galveston, Texas. Early on, he moved to Dallas and was working as a disc jockey with plans of becoming a teacher. While in a nightclub one evening, Bill decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy and quickly found that making people laugh was truly his forte. Soon after, he decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue television opportunities.
Alongside Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White, Bill Engvall was part of the enormously successful [Blue Collar Comedy Tour](http://www.tvguide.com/movies/blue-collar-comedy-tour-rides-again/review/284334/) concert films, which have sold more than 9 million units and are some of the most watched movies and specials in Comedy Central history. The soundtrack for [Blue Collar Comedy Tour, One For The Road](https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Collar-Comedy-Tour-Road/dp/B000FGFUPE), (Warner Bros./Jack Records) was also nominated for a Grammy Award.
Following the Blue Collar Comedy Tour movies, Engvall was reunited with Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy on the [Them Idiots Whirled Tour](https://www.amazon.com/Them-Idiots-Whirled-Jeff-Foxworthy/dp/B006YWIFH8/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1469035142&sr=1-1&keywords=Them+Idiots+Whirled+Tour), which was filmed as a special for CMT and aired 2012. Bill also has several solo specials on Comedy Central including Aged and Confused (2009) and Live (2004), which was certified multiplatinum, 15° Off Cool (2007) and Here’s Your Sign (1996).
Bill’s first album, Here’s Your Sign (1996), has been certified platinum and held the #1 position on the Billboard Comedy Chart for 15 straight weeks, went on to peak at #5 on Billboard’s Current Country Album Chart and reached the Top 50 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart. The single of the same name was ranked #1 on Billboard’s Country Singles Sales Chart for ten weeks, reached the Top 30 on the Billboard’s Singles Sales Chart, and achieved Gold status, which is not a common occurrence in the comedy market. In 1997, Engvall won the “Best Selling Comedy album” award at the annual NARM convention, outselling albums by Chris Rock and Adam Sandler.
Bill’s second album, Dorkfish (1998), was certified gold (500,000 copies), and had the honor of being ranked #1 on Billboard’s Comedy Chart, even surpassing Jerry Seinfeld’s album. All of his following comedy album releases debuted at #1 on the Billboard Comedy Chart, including 15° Off Cool and Aged and Confused.
Be sure to follow us on social media for all the latest podcast updates!
IG
