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Cowboy Bill Martin’s journey to comic stardom has been rife with hardships, which he has overcome to become one of the hottest acts on the comedy club circuit. Performing along side some of the industry’s biggest country recording artists, including George Strait, LeAnn Rimes, Jo Dee Messina, Asleep at the Wheel and Collin Raye, Martin is widely recognized as an emerging talent on the comedy circuit.
But life wasn’t always so rosy for Cowboy Bill. Growing up as the youngest of four children in Saginaw, Texas, he was not the typical class clown. In fact, he was painfully shy, thin and smart – not a popular combination. “The only person who really thought I was funny was my brother Skeeter, and with a name like that, you’ve got to have a sense of humor,” recalls Martin. Don’t go through life wondering what coulda, woulda shoulda been.” This was advice from his Grandmother, a woman who had just learned that she was dying of lung cancer.
Taking that advice to heart, Bill pursued his dream, but not everyone in his family was equally supportive. “I remember calling my momma when I decided become a comedian and heard her whisper to my dad, ‘He wants to be comedian. I don’t think he’s funny.’” Soon after, she became his biggest fan until her untimely death several years ago.
Since his first comedic performance in 1996, Bill has never looked back. “Because I’m living my dream, I have gained peace within myself.”
Bill has been through the pain and laughter of growing up and growing older, getting married and divorced, having a son and being a father, and losing his mother and his grandmother, which have all helped mold him into the performer he is today, which is a national touring headlining comic who is on the rise.
For the record, yes, he did lose his house and truck in the beginning of his career, but they’ve both been replaced, thanks to the perseverance of man pursuing his dream.
What do the Critics say?
“His self-effacing, Texas-based humor is delivered with a sense of comic timing as sharp as the creases in his heavily starched shirt and jeans.” -Punch Shaw, The Weekend Encore
“Martin is not your typical country-cowboy comic. There’s no talk about trailer parks or inbreeding. Sure he wears cowboy garb on stage and he speaks with a Texas accent but his comedy touches people of all cultures.”
-Neil Barron, Reno Gazette Best Bets
“In performance, he apt to remind you of Gary Busey with an edge. That is especially applicable, especially when Martin flashes a toothy grin and gives a gee-whiz shrug of his broad shoulders.”
-Perry Stewart, Ft. Worth Star Telegram