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William Ray ("Bill") Engvall, Jr. (born 27 July1957 in Galveston, Texas) is an American comedian best known for his work as a stand-up comic, and as a member of the Blue Collar Comedy group.

Background

Starting his career on the Television show Designing Women, Engvall hit his acclaimed 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, landing then on the television show Delta Burke, which lasted for one year, and from then on producing his albums. Before becoming a well-known comedian, Engvall joined the popular talent show Star Search.

Engvall's career toiled in relative obscurity for several years, hitting a low point while starring as CHUD #14 in the cult 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 song was a hit, catapulting Engvall to comedic stardom. More recently, he recorded a Comedy Central special and starred with fellow comedians Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Ron White in the hit redneck-themed stand-up movie Blue Collar Comedy Tour (as well as its sequels and spin-off TV show). The Blue Collar group has been called the redneck Rat Pack. Foxworthy is both the leader and most famous of the group, like the Rat Pack's Frank Sinatra. Engvall equates to Dean Martin, since he is the best friend of the leader, and is arguably the second-most famous member of the group.

He is married to his wife Gail since 1982 and has a daughter named Emily, and a son named Travis.

Here's Your Sign

His most famous routine is "Here's Your Sign" in which he proposes hanging signs on people who are stupid, so others would know not to rely on them for anything. Engvall's criteria for getting signed is asking something stupid or obvious, to which he replies with a sarcastic remark and a "heeeeeeere's your sign." An example of this joke would be: "I was walking my dog the other day and my neighbor saw me and asked, "You walking your dog?" I said, "Nope, I was walking the leash and the dog ran into it. Heeeeeeere's your sign." On occasion, others have signed him, much to his chagrin. Bill confessed to an account of this: I came out of the mall one day and I saw a guy parked next to me with a coat hanger in his window...and I could not stop myself. I said, "You lock your keys in your car?" He says "No, I just washed it and I'm hanging it out to dry!"

NOTE: This has been equated as Bill's stand-up take on Mad Magazine artist Al Jaffee's creation "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions".

Discography

• 1996 Here's Your Sign
• 1998 Dorkfish
• 1999 Here's Your Christmas Album
• 2000 Now That's Awesome
• 2002 Cheap Drunk: An Autobiography
• 2003 Here's Your Sign Reloaded
• 2004 A Decade of Laughs
• 2005 Here's Your Christmas Album (Bonus Track)
• (To be recorded in Austin, TX) 15° Off Cool

Filmography

• Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)
• Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004)
• Blue Collar TV (2004)
• Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the Road (2006)
• Delta Farce (2007)

Trivia

• Is both ophidiophobic (ironically, his favorite people to watch on Animal Planet are the snake handlers) and acrophobic.Here's Your Sign, Track 2Bill Engvall: Here's Your Sign LIVE! (DVD)
• Has been in two television series with Jeff Foxworthy: The Jeff Foxworthy Show and Blue Collar TV
• Contrary to popular belief, he is not the cousin of Jeff Foxworthy.
• Attended Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.
• Attended Richardson High School in Richardson, Texas.
• Is a member of Kappa Alpha Order (Xi Chapter at Southwestern University).
• In Now That's Awesome, he says that "watching Mark McGwire hit number 73" would be awesome. One year after the song came out, Barry Bonds beat his record with 73 home runs.

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Bill Engvall cast bio on The WB
• "Blue Collar Comedy King", biographical article featured in The Auburn Plainsman

• Bill Engvall CD reviews at Country Standard Time

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