Jeff Foxworthy
File:Jefffoxworthy2.jpg Foxworthy at the red carpet of the 2007 American Idol season finale
Birth name	Jeffrey Marshall Foxworthy
Born	(1958-09-06) September 6, 1958 (age 53) Hapeville, Georgia, United States medium = Stand-up, television, film, radio
Nationality	American
Years active	1984–present
Genres	Southern comedy, country comedy
Subject(s)	Culture of the Southern United States, everyday life, family, rednecks
Spouse	Pamela Gregg (1985–present) (2 children)
Notable works and roles	The Jeff Foxworthy Show (1995–1997), Blue Collar Comedy Tour (2003–2006), Blue Collar TV (2004–2006), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (host, 2007–2009)
Signature
Website	http://www.jefffoxworthy.com/

Jeffrey Marshall "Jeff" Foxworthy (born September 6, 1958) is an American comedian, television and radio personality and author. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which also comprises Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Ron White. Known for his "you might be a redneck" one-liners, Foxworthy has released six major-label comedy albums. His first two albums were each certified 3×multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Foxworthy has also written several books based on his redneck jokes, as well as an autobiography entitled No Shirt, No Shoes... No Problem!.

Foxworthy has also made several ventures into television, first in the mid-1990s as the star of a sitcom called, The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He has also appeared alongside Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy in several Blue Collar television specials, most notably Blue Collar TV. Since 2007, he has been the host of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Fox (2007–2009) and syndication (2009–2011). Foxworthy hosted a nationally syndicated radio show called The Foxworthy Countdown from April 1999 to December 2009.

Early life[link]

Foxworthy was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the first child of Jimmy Abstance Foxworthy, an IBM executive, and Carole Linda (Camp) Foxworthy, both of English descent.^[1][2][3] His grandfather, James Marvin Camp, was a fireman in Hapeville for more than 30 years.^[1]

Foxworthy graduated from Hapeville High School. He attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta, but left just before graduating.^[4] He worked for five years in mainframe computer maintenance at IBM (where his father also worked). At the urging of IBM co-workers, he entered and won the Great Southeastern Laugh-off, at Atlanta's Punchline comedy club, in 1984.

Career[link]

Comedy albums[link]

Foxworthy received the award for "Best Stand-Up Comic" at the 1990 American Comedy Awards.^[5]

In 1993, he released You Might Be a Redneck If…, which started the "You Might Be a Redneck" fad, topped the comedy album charts and sold more than three million copies.

His July 1995 release, Games Rednecks Play, received a 1996 Grammy nomination for "Best Spoken Comedy Album".^[6]

Totally Committed was released in May 1998. In conjunction with the CD was a one-hour HBO stand-up special by the same name. The CD reached "gold" status and received a 1999 Grammy Award nomination.^[7] The video of the song, Totally Committed featured frequent references to then-Atlanta Braves pitcher, Greg Maddux as well as an appearance at the very end by Maddux himself (along with teammate, John Smoltz).

In 2001, he received a nomination for "Best Spoken Comedy Album" at the 43rd Annual Grammys.^{[citation needed]}

Foxworthy hosted Country Weekly's ""TNN Music City News Country Awards" show for 1998, 1999 and 2000.^[8]

Television[link]

In 1995, he starred in The Jeff Foxworthy Show, a sitcom created out of his stand-up comedy persona. It aired on ABC, but was canceled after one season. NBC subsequently picked up the show, but it was again canceled after one season. Foxworthy later remarked that the network did not understand how to properly market his humor; thinking his routine was "too Southern" for a national network ("Has anyone heard me talk?", he commented in one of his stand-up routines), they based the first season of his sitcom in Bloomington, Indiana. The show later aired on Nick at Nite and CMT in 2005 and 2006. He also appeared in Alan Jackson's video for I Don't Even Know Your Name in 1995.

Foxworthy hosted the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Fox in prime time. He hosted the syndicated version of the show from September 21, 2009 until its cancellation on March 24, 2011.^[9] In addition, he is a host on The Bucks of Tecomate which airs on Versus with Alabama native David Morris.

Jeff will also be a potential investor on about half of the next edition of the ABC reality series, Shark Tank, where moneyed entrepreneurs decide if they will invest in new products, ideas and the like from those requesting funding in exchange for a percentage of ownership.^[10]

He was the subject of a Comedy Central Roast in 2005.

In March of 2012, GSN announced an upcoming game show based on the Bible, The American Bible Challenge, to which Foxworthy will be host and a producer.^[11]

Blue collar comedy[link]

In the early 2000s, Foxworthy had a career resurgence as a result of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, in which he and three other comedians (Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Bill Engvall), specializing in common-man comedy, toured the country and performed for record crowds. The tour lasted three full years, constantly being extended after an initial run of 20 shows.

In 2004, he launched a new television show called Blue Collar TV on The WB Television Network, Comedy Central, and Comedy Network (2007). He served as executive producer, and starred alongside Blue Collar Comedy Tour-mates Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall. (Ron White turned the show down but made occasional guest appearances). The show was relatively successful compared to the anemic performance of the WB's other sitcoms^{[citation needed]}. On Larry the Cable Guy's website, he posted that the show was canceled on October 17, 2005 by WB. Reruns of Blue Collar TV continued until the network merged with UPN to form The CW.

Jeff resurrected the Blue Collar TV format (albeit with only himself participating along with some of the Blue Collar TV co-hosts) on Country Music Television (CMT) with Foxworthy's Big Night Out. The show began airing in summer 2006 and was cancelled after one season.

Books[link]

Foxworthy has authored several books, including You Might Be a Redneck If... (1989), as well as his autobiography, No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem! (1996). Artist Layron DeJarnette provided illustrations for the Redneck Dictionary books. R. David Boyd has been the exclusive illustrator for most of Foxworthy's books and album covers.

He also has released a cookbook entitled The Redneck Grill, co-authored with Newnan, Georgia artist R. David Boyd, and "Redneck Extreme Mobile Home Makeover" (2005), a book with some of his redneck jokes.

His books are:

• Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary: Words You Thought You Knew the Meaning Of (2005)
• Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II: More Words You Thought You Knew the Meaning Of (2006)
• Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary III: Learning to Talk More Gooder Fastly (30 Oct 7)
• Rednecks In College

In February 2008, Foxworthy released his first children's book, Dirt On My Shirt. This was followed by Silly Street in 2009 and Hide!!! in 2010, both of which were illustrated by Steve Bjorkman.

In May 2008, Foxworthy released How to Really Stink at Golf, with co-author Brian Hartt and illustrations by Layron DeJarnette. In May 2009 he released How to Really Stink at Work, A Guide to Making Yourself Fire-Proof While Having the Most Fun Possible. This book was also co-authored with Brian Hartt.

Radio work[link]

In April 1999, Foxworthy began The Foxworthy Countdown, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio show, which featured the top 30 country hits of the week, as reported by Mediabase. He received a Country Music Association nomination, in 2001, for "Broadcast Personality of the Year". The program's last broadcast, the 2009 year-end countdown, aired the weekend of December 27, 2009.^[12] Blue Collar Comedy Radio airs on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 97 and is associated with Raw Dog Comedy on Sirius 99.

Outdoor Living[link]

Foxworthy's most recent venture is the creation of Foxworthy Outdoors. Jeff combines his love of family and friends with the great outdoors. From backyard barbecues to wild life management, Foxworthy Outdoors partners with innovative outdoor companies introducing products to enjoy all aspects of outdoor living.

Personal life[link]

Foxworthy met his wife, Pamela Gregg, at the Punchline in Atlanta, GA and they married on September 18, 1985. They have two daughters, Jordan (born in 1992) and Julianne (born in 1994).^[13] A noted hunting enthusiast, beginning when he was a teen hunting on his father's farm property in middle Georgia, Foxworthy has appeared as host and featured guest on several programs on the Outdoor Channel and Versus.^[14] Foxworthy is also a devout Christian, and performed stand-up at a Young Life conference.^[15]

In 2012, Foxworthy endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, explaining, "I avoided politics for 53 years of my life. I have been doing stand-up comedy for almost 30 and never wanted to be political. Selfishly, I wanted to make everyone laugh. But it got to the point that this is too important."^[16]

Discography[link]

Foxworthy has released five comedy albums for Warner Bros. Records as well as one for DreamWorks Records. One of his albums included the novelty Christmas song "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas", which reached number 18 on the Hot Country Songs charts in late 1995-early 1996.

See also[link]

• List of stand-up comedians
• List of game show hosts

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jeff Foxworthy

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jeff Foxworthy

• Official website
• Jeff Foxworthy on Myspace
• Jeff Foxworthy at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeff Foxworthy Interview on The Big Idea w/Donny Deutsch
• The Jeff Foxworthy Show on The WB

Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray in 2007
Born	Rachael Domenica Ray (1968-08-25) August 25, 1968 (age 43) Glens Falls, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Television personality, businesswoman, author, celebrity chef[1]
Years active	2001–present
Spouse	John Cusimano (2005–present)
Website
"rachelray.com". http://www.rachaelray.com.

Rachael Domenica Ray (born August 25, 1968) is an American television personality, businesswoman, celebrity chef and author. She hosts the syndicated talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray and three Food Network series, 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels and $40 a Day. Ray wrote cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2006. Ray's television shows have won two Daytime Emmy Awards.

Personal life[link]

Ray was born in Glens Falls, New York.^[2][3] Her parents are Elsa Scuderi, an Italian (Sicilian) American, and James Ray, who is of French, Scottish and Welsh descent.^[4] She moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts where her family owned four restaurants. When Ray was 8, her family moved to Lake George, New York. Her mother managed restaurants in upstate New York.^[2]

In 1995 Ray moved to New York City.^[5] One of her first jobs there was at the candy counter at Macy's, where she eventually managed the fresh foods department. She later helped open a New York City market. Moving back to upstate New York, Ray managed Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore, a hotel on Lake George. From there, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in Albany. Ray credits the concept of 30 Minute Meals to her experience working at the store, where she met people who were reluctant to cook. She taught a course in which she showed how to make meals in less than thirty minutes. With the success of her "30 Minute Meals" classes, WRGB (the local CBS TV affiliate) asked her to appear in a weekly segment on their newscasts. This, along with a public radio appearance and the publication of her first book, led to a Today show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001.

On September 24, 2005, in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John Cusimano, an American lawyer and lead singer of the rock band "The Cringe." She owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York, and Manhattan's Greenwich Village.^[6][7]

Career[link]

Cooking[link]

Ray teaches simple recipes that she says can be completed in 30 minutes or less, although critics claim that her concept does not include preparation.^[8]

Ray says that her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry serve as a strong influence on her cooking. She uses ingredients such as fresh herbs, garlic and chicken stock to boost flavors. She believes that measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking" and instead favors approximations such as "half a palmful". To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had."^[5] She acknowledges that she cannot bake because it requires measured ingredients, that she cannot make coffee, and that she burns bread under the broiler.

On her television programs, she has used catchphrases such as "E-V-O-O" (extra-virgin olive oil), "yum-o," "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "entréetizer" (entrée-sized appetizer), "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew),^[9] and "choup" (thicker than a soup but thinner than a chowder).^[10] In 2007, The Oxford American College Dictionary announced the addition of the term EVOO, short for extra-virgin olive oil, which Ray had helped to popularize, and credited her with coining the phrase.^[11][12]

The set of 30 Minute Meals uses a yellow Model 61C Chambers stove from the 1950s, notable for its top-opening broiler, super-insulated oven, and unique Thermowell.

On November 12, 2006, Ray and Mario Batali defeated the team of Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis on an episode of Iron Chef America during which cranberries were the secret ingredient. On March 18, 2007, Food Network debuted a Rachael Ray episode of its special Chefography series, on which she stated that "the worst day of [her] life" was Iron Chef America, admitting to being anxious about it for weeks before. She also told commentator Alton Brown that she was "a cook, not a chef."

Television[link]

In 2005, Ray signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey and King World Productions to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show.^[13] The show, Rachael Ray, premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show were used to fuel the launch, much as Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent visits to Oprah.^[14] The show tapes in New York City. In coordination with the syndication announcement, Ray said, "People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share."

Ray has appeared on The View, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Nightline, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Larry King Live, Cake Boss, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and The Dr. Oz Show.

For Sesame Street’s 38th season, Ray appeared in an episode to present "pumpernickel" as the word of the day.

On January 12, 2008, Ray's television series Rachael's Vacation premiered on the Food Network.^[15] The show is a five-part food travelogue shot in various European countries.^[16]

In 2008, Ray became a television executive producer^[17] of a short-ran Latin cooking show on the Food Network called Viva Daisy!, starring Daisy Martínez.

In August 2009, Ray appeared as herself on Million Dollar Password for charity for Yum-O! and her own charity for animal rescue with Regis Philbin.

Ray also appeared on the hidden-camera show I Get That a Lot, pretending to be an employee at a dry cleaners.

In September 2010, a new show, her first new cooking show in eight years, Rachael Ray's Week In a Day began airing on the Cooking Channel.

In January 2012, Rachael will be one of the two team captains (along with Guy Fieri) in the Food Network reality series Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off.^[18]

Magazines[link]

In 2003, she posed for the men's magazine FHM. A writer for The New York Times wrote, "The shots feature Ray in short-shorts with an exposed midriff, licking chocolate off a big wooden spoon, eating a strawberry and sitting in a sink, laughing as suds cascade down her thighs."^[5] In a March 2009 interview with Nightline co-anchor Cynthia McFadden, Ray defended her decision to pose in the magazine.^[19]

The Reader's Digest Association launched Ray's eponymous magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006, and increased to ten issues in 2007.

On October 12, 2011, it was announced that Meredith Corporation had reached an agreement to acquire Every Day with Rachael Ray. ^[20]

Product endorsements[link]

In November 2006, Ray became a spokeswoman for Nabisco crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have her recipes.

In February 2007, WestPoint Home launched sheets, blankets, and coverlets designed by Ray.^[21] Within six months, WestPoint expanded Ray's bed and bath line to include the "Moppine", a two-in-one dish towel/oven mitt, as Ray is often seen with a kitchen towel over her shoulder that doubles for her as an ersatz mitt.^[22]

In March 2007, the Dunkin' Donuts company announced Ray as its celebrity endorser, mainly of its coffee, since she had denied being able to make coffee herself.^[23] As part of a promotional campaign, Ray describes the company's coffee as "fantabulous."^[24] Celebrity chef and Travel Channel personality Anthony Bourdain, however, disparagingly referred to Ray's affiliation with Dunkin' Donuts as "evil," and went on to compare it to "endorsing crack for kids."^[25]

In May 2007, Ray's recipes were made available on AT&T cellular phones via the "Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run" feature.^[26]

In July 2008, Rachael Ray Nutrish pet food was introduced. The dog foods are created from recipes that Ray developed for her pit bull, Isaboo. All proceeds from the sale of these products go to Rachael's Rescue, a charity founded by Ray to help at-risk animals.^[27]

Awards and recognition[link]

Rachael Ray attending a high school social event in Enterprise, Alabama in 2007

• 2004: ranked #92 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2004"
• 2006: ranked #71 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2006"
• 2006: 30 Minute Meals received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show. Ray was also nominated for Outstanding Service Show Host
• 2006: named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. She was nominated by fellow Food Network star Mario Batali^[28]
• 2006: according to Forbes magazine, Ray earned about $6 million June 2005–June 2006^[29] from her books and television shows (excluding her new series, Rachael Ray)
• February 21, 2007, Ray announced on her show that a wax creation was made of her and that this wax figure will be on display at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York City
• 2007: nominated for Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Talk Show Host
• April 2007, Ray launched a charity, "The Yum-O! Organization", with help from Bill Clinton, to help children eat healthier^[30]
• June 2008, The Rachael Ray Show received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment^[31]
• June 2008, according to Forbes magazine, Ray earned about $18 million June 2007-June 2008^[32]
• June 2009, according to Forbes magazine, Ray earned about $15 million in the year ending June 2009, as well as naming her as the 79th most powerful celebrity in the world^[33]
• August 2009, The Rachael Ray Show received a second Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment^[34]
• January 2011, Ray won a People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Chef, over fellow nominees Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, and Paula Deen

Charity work[link]

In 2006, Rachael Ray launched a nonprofit organization called Yum-O! The mission of Yum-O! is to “empower kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking. This is achieved by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids, and funding cooking education”.^[35]

Bibliography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rachael Ray

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Rachael Ray

• Official website
• Rachael Ray at the Internet Movie Database

Bill Engvall
Bill Engvall (2010)
Birth name	William Ray Engvall, Jr.
Born	(1957-07-27) July 27, 1957 (age 54) Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	American
Years active	1990–present
Genres	Country comedy, observational comedy, satire
Subject(s)	Culture of the Southern United States, everyday life, marriage, parenting, self-deprecation
Spouse	Mary Gail Watson (1982–present) 2 children
Notable works and roles	Blue Collar Comedy Tour Bill Pelton on The Jeff Foxworthy Show Host of Country Fried Home Videos Bill Little in Delta Farce Bill Pearson on The Bill Engvall Show Host of Lingo (2011 Run)
Website	www.billengvall.com

William Ray "Bill" Engvall, Jr. (born July 27, 1957)^[1] is an American comedian and actor best known for his work as a stand-up comic and as a member of the Blue Collar Comedy group.

Early life[link]

Bill Engvall was born in Galveston, Texas. Following graduation from Richardson High School in Richardson, Texas, Engvall attended Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, intending to earn a Bachelors degree and become a teacher.^[2] While at Southwestern he was a member of Xi Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order. Engvall left college prior to earning his degree and worked a series of jobs, including tour guide at Inner Space Caverns, and disc jockey in a Dallas, Texas nightclub.^[3] It was while working as club DJ he first ventured into standup comedy at amateur and open mic nights around Dallas.

Career[link]

In 1990 Bill Engvall moved to southern California to dedicate full time to his comedy. Early notoriety came from hosting the cable show A Pair of Jokers with Rosie O'Donnell and an appearance on the The Golden Palace where he played Blanche's son Matthew, a stockbroker turned aspiring comic. Other early appearances included hosting A&E Networks An Evening at The Improv as well as stand-up routines on The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman.^[4]
A career breakthrough happened in 1992 when Engvall was named Best Male Standup at the American Comedy Awards. His first role as a series regular came soon after when he was cast in the ABC series Delta, starring Delta Burke. The show only lasted one season however, and Engvall returned to making the rounds of comedy clubs and the occasional television appearance until 1996 when he was cast with fellow comic and best friend Jeff Foxworthy in the NBC version of The Jeff Foxworthy Show. Signed by Warner Bros. Records in 1996, Engvall release the first of a series of highly successful comedy albums, Here's Your Sign, based on his signature stage bit. The album was certified Platinum and peaked at #5 on the Billboard Country album chart, thanks in part to the single and video of the same title on which he collaborated with Country star Travis Tritt.^[5] Eight more comedy albums followed including Dorkfish in 1998, and the most recent, 2009's Aged and Confused.

Blue Collar Comedy Tour[link]

Jeff Foxworthy and Engvall launched the first of six Blue Collar Comedy Tours in 2000.^[6] The tours also featured comedians Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy and were largely responsible for their breakout success. Each of the six years of the tour were very successful and spawned three movies, a satellite radio show, and a television show, Blue Collar TV on The WB Network.

Game show host[link]

On June 6, 2011, Bill Engvall began a new chapter in his career as he took over as host of the re-launched Lingo on GSN.^[7] According to an interview in American Profile magazine, Engvall said he jumped at the chance to host the show, citing the fun his friend Foxworthy had hosting Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. Engvall had been a fan of Lingo when it aired a few years previously before ending in 2007, admitting that his wife always beat him to the answers. When asked if there were any plans to have buddies Foxworthy or Larry The Cable Guy appear on Lingo, he replied "You never know! I would love to have them on the show because it would be a blast. I would really dig that."^[8]

Personal life[link]

Bill and Gail Engvall (born August 1960) have been married since December 18, 1982. They have a daughter named Emily (born 1986), a 2008 graduate from the University of Puget Sound, as well as a son, Travis (born 1991), a rising senior at Northern Arizona University; both of whom are often mentioned during his routines. Engvall resides in southern California when not on tour and maintains a blog for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, of which he holds season tickets.^[9]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Other charted songs[link]

Music videos[link]

List of works[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life St. Martin's Press ISBN 0-312-36267-6 (2007)

Filmography[link]

• Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)
• Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004)
• Blue Collar TV (2004)
• Mobile Home Disaster (2005)
• Country Fried Home Videos (Host) (2006–present)
• Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the Road (2006)
• The Bill Engvall Show (2007–2009)
• Delta Farce (2007)
• Bait Shop (2008)
• Country Fried Planet (2008)
• Celebrity Family Feud (2008)
• Strawberry Wine (2009)
• Leverage (2010) (guest star) as Duke Penzer
• Lingo (2011)
• Hawthorne (2011) (guest star) as Detective Jimmy Dupree (3 Episodes)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bill Engvall

• Official website
• Bill Engvall at the Internet Movie Database
• Bill Engvall cast bio on The WB
• Bill Engvall interview on Golf & Other Fore-Letter Words (Vegas Video Network)

Larry the Cable Guy
Larry on June 10, 2007
Birth name	Daniel Lawrence Whitney
Born	(1963-02-17) February 17, 1963 (age 49) Pawnee City, Nebraska
Medium	Stand-up Television Film Radio Books
Nationality	American
Years active	1991–present
Genres	Character comedy, redneck comedy, country comedy, observational comedy, satire
Subject(s)	Culture of the Southern United States, obesity, human sexuality, political correctness, self-deprecation, family, personal hygiene
Influences	Steve Martin,[1] Don Rickles,[1] Milton Berle,[1] Henny Youngman,[1] Jeff Foxworthy, Charlie Callas
Influenced	Billy the Bass Man
Spouse	Cara James (2005–present; 2 children)
Notable works and roles	Blue Collar Comedy Tour Larry McCoy in Delta Farce Himself in Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector Larry in Witless Protection Mater in Cars and Cars 2
Website	Official site

Daniel Lawrence Whitney^[1] (born February 17, 1963), best known by his stage name and character Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, country music artist, voice artist, and former radio personality.^[2]

He is one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which also includes Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy (with whom he has starred on Blue Collar TV).

Whitney has released seven comedy albums, of which three have been certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies. In addition, he has starred in three Blue Collar Comedy Tour-related movies, as well as in the films Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Delta Farce, and Witless Protection. He is widely known for voicing Mater in the Cars franchise. Whitney's catchphrase "Git-R-Done!" is also the title of his book.

On January 26, 2010, the TV channel History announced that it was ordering a series starring Whitney called Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, in which he would explore the country and immerse himself in different lifestyles, jobs, and hobbies.^[3] The first episode of the series aired on February 8, 2011.^[4]

Early life[link]

According to a CMT biography, Whitney grew up on a pig farm in Pawnee City, Nebraska.^[5] He went to college at the now defunct Baptist University of America.^[6] He credits his roommates from Texas and Georgia for inspiring his imitation Southern accent.^[7] He dropped out after his junior year after trying his hand at comedy.^[7]

Career[link]

Radio career[link]

Whitney started his career in radio as a disc jockey in Blue Springs, Missouri. He became known in the early 1990s when he made regular radio appearances via phone on programs such as The Ron and Ron Show, The Chris Baker Show on KOOO and KEZO's The Todd and Tyler Show in Omaha, Nebraska, as well as the Kirk, Mark, and Lopez morning show on WIYY in Baltimore, Maryland. He was also a frequent guest on the The Johnny Dare Morning Show show on 98.9, KQRC, Kansas City. He also did appearances on WJRR in Orlando, Florida, on the Monsters in the Mid Day (presently the Monsters in the Morning), as he was a personal friend of BlackBean (Carlos Navarro) with whom he had done voice-over work. He was brought to New England on Greg and the Morning Buzz on WHEB 100.3 and WGIR 101.1 in Portsmouth and Manchester, New Hampshire, respectively, doing two commentaries a week.

Stand-up career[link]

He became famous developing the Larry character, a personality that he now maintains throughout his stage act. The Larry character has a stereotypical redneck appearance and a thick Southern accent, recounts stories about his "family," and uses, among other common expressions, his own catchphrase "Git-R-Done!" A part of Whitney's routine is his affected Southern accent. He says in interviews and in his autobiographical book GIT-R-DONE that he deliberately "turns on" the accent both on and off stage, because he may forget it if he kept his normal accent intact.^[8] He uses catchphrase humor, including "Git-R-Done", "Lord, I apologize, and be with the starvin' Pygmies down there in New Guinea. Amen." and "I don't care who ya are, that's funny right there" after certain jokes. He appears in Nutrisystem commercials with Dan Marino. Marino delivers the catchphrase "Git-R-Done", and is shown dressed in Whitney's trademark attire, including a pair of jeans, a cut-off, untucked flannel shirt, and camouflage hat.

His first two comedy albums, Lord, I Apologize (2001) and The Right to Bare Arms (2005), have both been certified gold by the RIAA. A third album, Morning Constitutions, and its accompanying TV special were released in 2007.

Other work[link]

In 2006, he was approached by Comedy Central to voice a character for an as-yet-unnamed animated series. The show would involve his character as one of two owners of a small cable channel (the other, a high-classed, high-attitude woman). A half-hour pilot was ordered by the network, but has yet to air.^[9]

Whitney was roasted in a Comedy Central special on March 15, 2009.^[10] During the roast, he can be heard greeting roasters out of character and in his normal speaking voice, as well as being called "Dan" by Bill Engvall.^{[citation needed]}

On Tuesday, February 8, 2011, the première of his newest travelogue series, Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, was broadcast on the History Channel. A total of 4.1 million viewers, 1.7 million adults 25–54, tuned in, nearly doubling the total for the "Top Shot" season 2 opener.^[11] During season two in the episode "Larry Goes To Washington", Larry was the first on-air talent from a non news crew allowed in the War Room, also known as the Command Center, as he explained during the program.

A company in North Dakota developed a line of Larry the Cable Guy food products, such as boxed hamburger dinners. It is sold in Big Lots stores, and the packaging states proceeds from sales benefit his "Git-R-Done Foundation".

Personal life[link]

Whitney resides in Lincoln, Nebraska. He married his wife Cara in 2005. They have two children together, a son, Wyatt (born August 2006), and a daughter, Reagan (born October 2007). In 2010, Whitney and his wife disclosed in an article that their son Wyatt has hip dysplasia.^[12]

His home town of Pawnee City, Nebraska has a street named after him. Whitney also donated money to buy new theatrical equipment for the local high school.^[13]

He is an avid Nebraska Cornhuskers fan and his signature camouflage hat has the Nebraska "N" emblazoned on it.^{[citation needed]}

In September 2010, Dan donated $5 Million to the Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida. The huge gift was for further development of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute at the Orlando hospital. After Dr. Chad Price at Arnold Palmer Hospital helped cure their son, Wyatt of his dysplasia when he was an infant, Whitney and his wife, Cara, made private donations to the hospital and Whitney raised money through appearances on "Family Feud" and "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" The Hospital Opened a new wing called the "Wyatt Whitney Wing" of the hospital. The construction was complete in May 2012.^[14]

Radio shows[link]

Whitney was a radio personality on:

• KKAR 1290 AM in Omaha, Nebraska
• KGDE 101.9 The Edge in Omaha, Nebraska
• KEZO "Z-92" in Omaha, Nebraska
• KQRC 98.9 FM "The Rock" in Kansas City
• KMYZ "Z104.5 The Edge" in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• WYNF 94.9 FM "95YNF" in Tampa, Florida
• WJRR 101One in Orlando, Florida
• WDIZ in Panama City, Florida
• WPLA "Planet Radio" 107.3 in Jacksonville, Florida
• WIYY 97.9 "98 Rock" in Baltimore, Maryland
• WPYX in Albany, New York
• WHEB in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
• KTPI-FM in Tehachapi, California
• WPBZ 103.1 "The Buzz" in West Palm Beach, Florida
• Blue Collar Radio on Sirius XM Radio

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

• Larry the Cable Guy: Git-R-Done (2003)
• Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)
• Blue Collar Comedy Tour: Rides Again (2004)
• Blue Collar TV (2004–2006) as Various Characters
• Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (2006)
• Cars (2006) as Mater
• Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the Road (2006)
• Delta Farce (2007) as Larry
• Witless Protection (2008) as Deputy Larry Stalder
• Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008–2011) as Mater
• Comedy Central Roast (2009)
• Larry the Cable Guy's Hula-Palooza Christmas Luau (2009)
• Larry the Cable Guy: Tailgate Party (2010)
• Cars 2 (2011) as Mater
• Tooth Fairy 2 (2012) as Larry Guthrie

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Larry the Cable Guy

• Official website
• Larry the Cable Guy at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Larry the Cable Guy about Cars 2