Bill Engvall Kicks Up a Storm With Hit Single

Jeannette Carrillo

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 1997 | 5:24 a.m.

"WHEN THE NATIONAL FINALS Rodeo moves into Las Vegas, so do friends," said comedian, actor, singer and author Bill Engvall, who will be appearing in Bally's Celebrity Room, Dec. 8-14.

"I love every bit of the gaudiness of Vegas. It's great to do NFR. I get to see some of the people I never get to see 'cause we're always on the road," said the former team roper who cautions you just never know what might happen when the dust begins to stir.

In Engvall's case, however, the dust from his country-rock single "Here's Your Sign," with Travis Tritt, hasn't even begun to settle.

"We put out the single to sort of springboard the album, and, good Lord, the single took off and then the album took off, and I've been playing catch up ever since," Engvall said.

The song, laced with an edge only Tritt can muster, went gold, as did the album. In fact, "Here's Your Sign" held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country Singles Chart for 10 weeks, and when it went gold, it was only one of four country singles in the past five years to have achieved the coveted status. In less than a year, Engvall, who had begun his stand-up career behind a Mr. Microphone, has found himself in the company of some of the industry's top names, including Garth Brooks, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain and Tim McGraw.

Gold records aside, however, it's performing in front of an audience that gets Engvall's juices flowing.

"I love live performance. I'm in control of the show, and for me it's a real rush," Engvall said, adding that if his humor makes one person forget their problems for an hour, then he's done his job.

As for his sign shtick, Engvall said it's a routine he developed years ago onstage. It's something, he explained, that people just seem to hook into.

In fact, the act got so popular that Engvall used to sell signs that read "I'm Stupid" for $1 apiece or two for $5.

"And you'd be amazed at how many people bought two for 5 bucks," he said.

"I used to tell my wife I looked like a topless dancer every time I'd come home from the road because I'd have $200 in $1 bills," he said.

As for the future, Engvall is looking forward to working on his second album, which is due out next summer. And if it's anything like the first, all we can hope is that gold-record wallpaper goes well with his dining room furniture.

Performance information

Where: Bally's

When: Dec. 8-14

Information: 739-4567