Reverend Billy C. Wirtz (born William McLean Wirths in 1954) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

musician, comedian and writer. His material consists of comedy routines set to music.

Early life and education

William Wirths was born in Aiken, South Carolina, United States. His father worked for the

United States Atomic Energy Commission The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President H ...

, and his mother was a writer and sociologist who worked to reform the police department. The family moved to Washington, D.C. when William was eight years old.

Career

The comedy album boom of the early 1960s was a significant influence, particularly Allan Sherman's ''My Son, The Folksinger''. He started playing guitar at ten, and played in cover bands in his early teens. Working at the Waxie Maxie's Record Store helped broaden his taste, discovering the blues, as well as jazz and gospel. Wirtz developed a friendship with blues pianist Sunnyland Slim who invited him to Chicago in June 1979. He began his career as a solo artist in 1981. In 1982, he recorded his first album, ''Salvation Through Polyester'', on No Big Deal Records. His song "Teenie Weenie Meanie", described as "a tasteful vignette about a midget lady wrestler" led to a six-month-long contract as a "Manager" with Professional Wrestling From Florida (PWF). While there he worked with Dennis "Mideon" Knight, The Nasty Boys, Gigolo Jimmy Backlund, and

Dallas Page Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wit ...

. Twelve years later, he returned to professional wrestling with a three-month stint on WTBS ''

Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the United ...

''. The Nashville Network,

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

and NBC have showcased Wirtz's talents, along with nationwide morning radio shows. Similarly, "Waffle House Fire" has been featured on XM Radio's Channel 151,

Laugh USA Laugh USA is a Sirius XM Radio channel featuring family comedy and broadcasts on channel 98. The channel's slogan is "Comedy for Everyone." The comedy aired sometimes contains mild profanities and slightly risqué material, and is only very rare ...

. Wirtz performs concerts and teaches workshops on blues and gospel music. In 1990, his album ''Backslider's Tractor Pull'' won an award for Comedy Album of the Year by the National Association of Independent Record Distributors. Found on that album is his parody about the Waffle House restaurant chain. On his album ''Unchained Maladies'' (1998), he covered Tom Lehrer's "I Hold Your Hand In Mine". He created a humorous church known as The First House Of Polyester Worship and Horizontal Throbbing Teenage Desire, and Our Lady of the White Go-Go Boot, Lord of the 40-Watt Undulating Bubbling Lava Lamp Apocalyptic, No Pizza Take-Out After Twelve, Shrine Of The Rick Flair ‘WOOOO’, Rasslin' Jeezus. In 2008, Circumstantial Productions published Wirtz's first book, ''Sermons & Songs'', edited by Richard Connolly. In September 2012, Wirtz published his second book, ''Red Headed Geek'', with Holy Macro Books. As of 2014, he hosts a radio program on

WMNF WMNF is a non-commercial, community radio station operating in the city of Tampa in the U.S. state of Florida that broadcasts at the FM frequency of 88.5 MHz and streaming live. The station has been on the air since September 14, 1979, and ha ...

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

, Florida.

Personal life

Wirtz is married and resides in Ocala, Florida. He tours solo, also with The Nighthawks.

Discography

Singles

*"Stairway to Freebird/On the Rag Again" – No Big Deal Records (1984) *"Rib Ticklin" – Memphis in May International Festival Inc (2000) *"The Best of the Wirtz" (5 track Radio promo) – HighTone Records (2001)

Albums

* ''Salvation Through Polyester'' – No Big Deal Records (1983) * ''Deep Fried and Sanctified'' – King Snake Records (1988), re-released 1989 on HighTone Records * ''Backslider's Tractor Pull'' – HighTone Records (1990) * ''A Turn For the Wirtz: Confessions of a Hillbilly Love God'' – HighTone Records (1992) * ''Pianist Envy'' – HighTone Records (1994) * ''Songs of Faith and Inflammation'' – HighTone Records (1996) * ''Unchained Maladies'' – HighTone Records (1998) * ''The Best of the Wirtz'' – HighTone Records (2001) * ''Rev Elation'' – Rest Stop Records (2004) * ''Sermon from Bethlehem'' – Blind Pig Records (2006) * ''Pianist Envy – Group Therapy''. (with Victor Wainwright, as Pianist Envy) – (2008, later reissued as Roll Models Piana vs Piano) * ''Full Circle'' – EllerSoul Records (2016)

References

External links

* *
Hightone Records web archive

Blind Pig Records profile

Roanoke College's profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wirtz, Billy C.L 1954 births Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century American comedians American blues singers American male singers Songwriters from South Carolina People from Aiken, South Carolina 21st-century American male musicians Blind Pig Records artists American male songwriters