Bill Engvall

Best known for his "Here's Your Sign" bit -- as in what stupid people should be given -- Bill Engvall has built quite a following for his everyman brand of humor, a mix of folksy observations ("Factory outlet malls...Where you go to buy mistakes"), everyday family absurdities ("Son, please don't bite the dog..."), and the general trials of being a guy -- quitting smoking, being stubbornly old-fashioned, and getting old. "I don't know what this guy was looking for," Engvall says of the doctor giving him a physical, "But after a while I'm like 'Hey doc, why don't you tell me what I'm thinking?!'" Engvall has been especially successful as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, where he joins Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, and Ron White in grousing good-naturedly about the inanities of American life. Fans of that tour will feel right at home with this overview of Engvall's solo material, as will his longtime listeners, since it gives them the big hits. In addition to his best comedy routines, A Decade of Laughs also features a selection of them set to country music tracks. Travis Tritt puts "Here's Your Sign" to a honky tonk tune, John Michael Montgomery guests on "Warning Signs," and "It's Hard to be a Parent" is self-explanatory. [In 2008 the Warner Bros. label reissued A Decade of Laughs with a bonus DVD featuring The Birthday episode of the comedian's television series The Bill Engvall Show.] ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide