Tim Wilson (comedian)
Timothy Collins Wilson (August 5, 1961 – February 26, 2014) was an American stand-up comedian and country music artist, whose act combined stand-up comedy and original songs.[1]
Tim Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Timothy Collins Wilson |
| Born | August 5, 1961 Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | February 26, 2014 (aged 52) Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Country, comedy, parody |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, comedian |
| Instruments | Vocals, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 1994–2014 |
| Labels | Southern Tracks, Capitol Nashville |
| Associated acts | Jeff Foxworthy, Toby Keith, Pinkard & Bowden, Billy Gardell |
He released more than a dozen comedy albums, including several for Capitol Records Nashville, and made frequent appearances with Wilhite and Wall, John Boy and Billy, Big D and Bubba and Bob and Tom Show. Wilson also appeared on numerous television programs, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and American Revolution Country Comedy on CMT. In 2011, Wilson appeared on CMT's Ron White's Comedy Salute to the Troops.
In 2012, Wilson appeared on the Showtime comedy special, Billy Gardell's: Road Dogs, with Gardell hosting along with comedians Ben Creed and Kenny Rogerson.[2]
Life and career
Wilson was born August 5, 1961, in Columbus, Georgia, and attended Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina, as an English major.[3] His parents were school teachers. He was a self-described libertarian, and sometimes included his political standpoints in his comedy routines.[4] He co-wrote several parodies for the 1980s comedy duo Pinkard & Bowden, as well as comedian Jeff Foxworthy's 1996 single "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas."[1] He wrote and recorded the novelty songs "Garth Brooks Has Ruined My Life" and "The Ballad of John Rocker."[5]
Wilson began his recording career in Atlanta, on the Southern Tracks label with music publisher Bill Lowery. Members of the Atlanta Rhythm Section played on many of Wilson's early recordings, with ARS keyboardist Dean Daughtry producing.[1] Wilson later recorded extensively in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. He co-produced Allnight Allstars with Muscle Shoals engineer Steve Melton. The project appeared on Capitol Nashville and includes Levon Helm, Gregg Allman, Jimmy Hall, Bobby Whitlock, and members of both the Atlanta Rhythm Section and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.[6]
In 2009, Wilson and Roger Keiss wrote a detective book entitled Happy New Year — ted, about serial killer Ted Bundy.[7] He can be heard discussing his research and his book in great detail while visiting theOff The Air Podcast, hosted by Chick McGee of the Bob and Tom Show.
Wilson was posthumously inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in September 2015.[8]
Death
Wilson died of a heart attack on February 26, 2014. Early reports stated that he died in Nashville, Tennessee; however, his longtime friend and manager Chris Dipetta clarified that he had been traveling, but had made it to his hometown of Columbus, Georgia, before he died.[9] More details from the referenced story state: "Wilson, 52, drove to Columbus from a gig in Michigan to visit his brother en route to a weekend show in Birmingham, Ala. when he started feeling ill, said Dipetta, who worked with Wilson for 30 years. Dipetta continued, "I talked to him yesterday afternoon and he said he felt bad, was short of breath, and I said, "get to the hospital now!" Wilson's brother rushed him to a nearby hospital and Wilson suffered a massive heart attack and died at 9:15 p.m. Wilson left behind his wife and two children.[10][11]
Tribute show
On May 9, 2014, The Bob and Tom show sponsored a tribute comedy show to honor Wilson and help provide an education for his son.[12] This three-and-a-half hour show was presented at the Paramount Theatre (Anderson, Indiana). The announced lineup included the Bob and Tom show personalities (Bob Kevoian, Tom Griswold, Kristi Lee, and Chick McGee), as well as Dr. Gonzo, Heywood Banks, Drew Hastings, and Donny Baker. Surprise guests were introduced during the show and included, Duke Tumatoe, Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee, Rickey Rydell and Scotty Bratcher. Additional music talent was provided by Steve Allee, keyboard and PJ Yinger, trumpet. Additionally, Bob Kevoian did an emotional solo performance of a Tim Wilson tribute song on ukulele. Wilson's last appearance on The Bob and Tom Show was on December 10, 2013.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Comedy | US Heat | |||||
| Waking Up the Neighborhood |
|
— | — | — | |||
| Tough Crowd |
|
— | — | — | |||
| Low-Class Love Affair |
|
— | — | — | |||
| Tuned Up |
|
— | — | — | |||
| It's a Sorry World |
|
44 | — | 31 | |||
| Road Comedy 101 |
|
— | — | — | |||
| Gettin' My Mind Right |
|
28 | — | 28 | |||
| Hillbilly Homeboy |
|
48 | — | — | |||
| I Should've Married My Father-In-Law |
|
64 | — | — | |||
| Super Bad Sounds of the 70's |
|
57 | — | — | |||
| The Real Twang Thang |
|
— | 11 | — | |||
| Church League Softball Fistfight |
|
— | 12 | — | |||
| But I Could Be Wrong |
|
61 | 4 | 42 | |||
| Mr. Wilson Explains America |
|
— | 13 | — | |||
| Caffeine Wired, Nervous & Pale |
|
— | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| Songs for the Musically Disturbed: His (Almost) Greatest Hits |
|
— |
| Certified Aluminum: His Greatest Recycled Hits, Volume 1 |
|
62 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 1993 | "Garth Brooks Has Ruined My Life" | 70 | Tough Crowd |
| 2000 | "The Ballad of John Rocker" | 66 | Hillbilly Homeboy |
| 2002 | "The Jeff Gordon Song" | — | Certified Aluminum |
| 2003 | "Booty Man" | — | Super Bad Sounds of the 70's |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
References
- Ankeny, Jason. "Tim Wilson biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- "Clean and Sober Comedy!". Recoverycomedy.com. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
- Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 472. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- "Tim Wilson - Libertarian". TheAdvocates.org. Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 377. ISBN 0-89820-203-5.
- "ALL NIGHT ALL STARS". Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
- Kinslow, Gina (2009-08-06). "Comedian Tim Wilson to perform at Plaza Saturday". Glasgow Daily Times. Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
- Associated Press. "Georgia Music Hall of Fame inducts Gregg Almman, 8 others". savannahnow.com. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- Fernandez, Maria Elena (Feb 27, 2014). "Comedic country singer Tim Wilson dies at 52". NBC News. Today. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- Stallings, Amy (February 27, 2014).Report: Comedian Tim Wilson dies after suffering heart attack Archived 2014-03-03 at the Wayback Machine whas11.com; retrieved February 27, 2014.
- "Join us for the Tim Wilson Benefit Show". bobandtom.com. 21 April 2014. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- "Caffeine Wired, Nervous & Pale by Tim Wilson on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
External links
- Tim Wilson on IMDb
- Tim Wilson at AllMusic
- Tim Wilson at MySpace
- CMT profile
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