Tim Wilson (comedian)

Timothy Collins Wilson (August 5, 1961 – February 26, 2014) was an American 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	1984–2014
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 the Off 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	Release date: July 26, 1994 Label: Southern Tracks	—	—	—
Tough Crowd	Release date: July 15, 1995 Label: Southern Tracks	—	—	—
Low-Class Love Affair	Release date: September 18, 1995 Label: Southern Tracks	—	—	—
Tuned Up	Release date: May 6, 1997 Label: Southern Tracks	—	—	—
It's a Sorry World	Release date: February 9, 1999 Label: Capitol Nashville	44	—	31
Road Comedy 101	Release date: February 16, 1999 Label: Southern Tracks	—	—	—
Gettin' My Mind Right	Release date: October 5, 1999 Label: Capitol Nashville	28	—	28
Hillbilly Homeboy	Release date: June 6, 2000 Label: Capitol Nashville	48	—	—
I Should've Married My Father-In-Law	Release date: October 23, 2001 Label: Capitol Nashville	64	—	—
Super Bad Sounds of the 70's	Release date: May 20, 2003 Label: Capitol Nashville	57	—	—
The Real Twang Thang	Release date: January 25, 2005 Label: Capitol Nashville	—	11	—
Church League Softball Fistfight	Release date: November 22, 2005 Label: Capitol Nashville	—	12	—
But I Could Be Wrong	Release date: March 20, 2007 Label: Capitol Nashville	61	4	42
Mr. Wilson Explains America	Release date: October 20, 2009 Label: Capitol Nashville	—	13	—
Caffeine Wired, Nervous & Pale	Release date: June 11, 2013[13] Label: Capitol Nashville	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

Title	Album details	Peak positions
		US Country
Songs for the Musically Disturbed: His (Almost) Greatest Hits	Release date: November 26, 1996 Label: Southern Tracks	—
Certified Aluminum: His Greatest Recycled Hits, Volume 1	Release date: August 13, 2002 Label: Capitol Nashville	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

1. Ankeny, Jason. "Tim Wilson biography". Allmusic. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
2. "Clean and Sober Comedy!". Recoverycomedy.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 472. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
4. "Tim Wilson – Libertarian". TheAdvocates.org. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 377. ISBN 0-89820-203-5.
6. "ALL NIGHT ALL STARS". Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
7. Kinslow, Gina (August 6, 2009). "Comedian Tim Wilson to perform at Plaza Saturday". Glasgow Daily Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
8. Associated Press. "Georgia Music Hall of Fame inducts Gregg Almman, 8 others". savannahnow.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
9. Fernandez, Maria Elena (February 27, 2014). "Comedic country singer Tim Wilson dies at 52". NBC News. Today. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
11. Stallings, Amy (February 27, 2014).Report: Comedian Tim Wilson dies after suffering heart attack Archived March 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine whas11.com; retrieved February 27, 2014.
12. "Join us for the Tim Wilson Benefit Show". bobandtom.com. April 21, 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
13. "Caffeine Wired, Nervous & Pale by Tim Wilson on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved April 13, 2020.

External links

• Tim Wilson at IMDb
• Tim Wilson at AllMusic
• Tim Wilson at MySpace
• CMT profile