Bill Engvall Laughs All the Way to the Bank

Smartmoney.com - USA - COMEDIAN BILL ENGVALL can thank his cash-strapped roots for great stand-up material and financial discipline. At age 26, Engvall was making just $275 a week emceeing at a comedy club when a classified ad for a sleek, black motorboat with tailfins caught his eye. With just $1,000 to his name, Engvall didn't think twice about forking over the $800 asking price.

"I called it 'Bat Boat,'" beams Engvall, now 49. "Of course, the first day out on the lake, the boat basically exploded." After bringing the boat's remains to a nearby mechanic, he learned that the 1952 "classic" was not only beyond repair, but was probably worth no more than $50 when Engvall bought it.

Today, Engvall, who is best known for his recurring role on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, readily admits that he's made plenty of foolish money mistakes. But don't let his blue-collar shtick fool you. Engvall's success on the stage has been such that he could buy — and wreck — thousands of "Bat Boats" with barely a leak in his finances.

To start, there's the revenue from his Blue Collar tours, a franchise that Variety magazine estimates has netted its four performers some $200 million. (Engvall's reps declined to confirm the figure.) Engvall also hosts "Country Fried Home Videos" on Country Music Television and his latest album "Bill Engvall: 15º Off Cool," debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Comedy Charts in March. His book, "Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life," hit shelves in May.

As of Tuesday, Engvall will put one more notch in his big-buckled belt: He's set to star in a sitcom that he'll not only write and produce, but will also bear his name. "I'm as happy as I've ever been," he says from the Los Angeles studios of TBS, which will air "The Bill Engvall Show." "When I had no money, I never found money in my pants. Because you know, I knew where every penny was. Now I put on a pair of jeans, pull my hand out of the pocket and, oh look, there's $20."

Engvall grew up middle class, first in Flagstaff, Ariz., then later in Galveston, Texas. He attended Texas's Southwestern University, but dropped out after two years to try his hand at comedy. For Engvall and his now-wife, Gail, it was tough going at first. "There were a number of years where Gail and I were eating Top Ramen noodles," he says.

To pay the bills Engvall held odd jobs, including stints selling radio airtime to local businesses and later spinning records at a local nightclub. One night, friends coaxed him to get on stage at a comedy club's amateur night and he was hired on the spot as the club's emcee. Then, in 1984, Engvall got his first real break. The owner of The Funny Bone chain of comedy clubs asked him to headline some shows. The owner, who was based in St. Louis, even put Engvall and his wife up in his basement for free, allowing the couple to finally save some money.

When the two moved to Los Angeles a year later, they discovered that their stash was far from enough. Hoped-for gigs failed to materialize and Engvall went back on tour in order to afford the rent on their Santa Monica, Calif., home. "What we paid for a three-bedroom, one-bath house you could have got a mansion for in Texas," he gripes.

Engvall finally hit his stride in the early '90s. He landed an appearance on the estrogen-heavy sitcom "Designing Women," followed by a regular role on star Delta Burke's ill-fated spinoff, "Delta." Pulling in more than $1,500 a week in concert revenue, Engvall's success on tour helped him win a Standup Comic of the Year award. His comedy album — named after his signature bit, "Here's Your Sign" — soon went platinum.

In 1996, Engvall's friend and comedic rival Jeff Foxworthy offered him a spot on "The Jeff Foxworthy Show." The sitcom soon folded, but producers hung onto the two comics, hoping to use them for a project aimed at Middle America. What resulted was The Blue Collar Comedy Tour, which kicked off in 2000. The tour has since spawned two movies, a national tour and several CDs.

Engvall admits he's gotten used to the upscale lifestyle, but given his past, financial security comes before luxury goods. To keep him in check, Engvall's wife serves as the financial gatekeeper, tracking every penny that the couple spends. "If it wasn't for her, I think I'd own just a Corvette and a broken stereo," says Engvall.

Instead, they own real estate. After Engvall's success in the early '90s, the couple spent $900,000 on a three-bedroom Los Angeles home, which they then flipped to sell for $2.1 million. Today, they own one multimillion-dollar home in the Hollywood Hills and another in Park City, Utah. They're building a third on their family ranch in San Antonio. Not wanting to owe anyone money, they own all three properties free and clear.

"At some point I will retire, but if this whole thing were to end tomorrow, we'd be fine, our kids would be fine," says Engvall.

Is there a Bat Boat II in Engvall's future? Not a chance, he says.