The Bubba breakthrough

Monday, Dec. 1, 1997 | 11:53 a.m.

A cultivator of rustic mirth, Jeff Foxworthy has shared his southern charms from coast to coast. The comedian, who performs at Bally's, Dec. 4-7, has singlehandedly elevated the term "redneck" from insult to inclusion. And you may be surprised to find yourself a member of the redneck ranks.

An Atlanta native, Foxworthy sports a distinct accent and an uncanny wit. With an observant eye on life for everyman and everywoman U.S.A., Foxworthy is best known for his "You might be a redneck if ..." jokes, which seem to spark a laugh of recognition in all of us.

For example, "You might be a redneck if there's more than five McDonald's bags currently on the floorboard of your car."

"You might be a redneck if you consider a six-pack and a bug-zapper high-quality entertainment."

"You might be a redneck if fewer than half your cars run" or "if the taillight covers of your car are made of tape."

The list goes on and on, and so do the laughs. Foxworthy has tapped into a comedic artery sure to run rich for a very long time.

However, Foxworthy's success didn't happen overnight. Inspired by comedians such as Bill Cosby, Phyllis Diller and Milton Berle, Foxworthy quit his $30,000 a year job with IBM 12 years ago and set out to make people laugh. He worked the comedy club circuit, making a whopping $20 a night in smoky rooms.

Determination paid off, and soon Foxworthy began winning regional and national comedy contests, developing a loyal fan base. His first six or seven years, the comedian paid his dues by working 48 weeks a year on the road. The end result of his hard work had Foxworthy capturing the award for "Best Stand-Up Comic" at the 1990 American Comedy Awards.

From there, Foxworthy's comedy career has soared. He has released three comedy albums that have tallied sales of more than 7 million units, thus making him the largest-selling comedy recording artist in history. His first CD, You Might Be A Redneck If ..., hit triple-platinum status, the only time a comedy CD has surpassed this mark.

Foxworthy also released Games Rednecks Play, which went double platinum, and received a 1996 Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album.

His latest album Crank It Up: The Music Album contains the hit single and video "Party All Night," featuring Little Texas, and "Games Rednecks Play" with country star Alan Jackson.

Foxworthy starred on "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" for two seasons on NBC and is preparing to tape a one-hour stand-up special for HBO.

He has also penned nine best-selling books with extraordinary success. To date, he has sold more than 3.8 million copies of his books and more than 1.5 million copies of his calendars. His latest book, The Foxworthy Down-Home Cookbook: No Arugula, No Pate ... No Problem! includes recipes from Foxworthy and his father, Big Jim.

A yokel at heart, Foxworthy evokes knee-slappin' guffaws with whatever he sets his sights on. The trick is, everyone has a little Bubba deep inside.