It seems things were better, or at least funnier, way back when. Comedy icon Jeff Foxworthy is ready to take Montgomery on a journey through those Good Old Days on Thursday.
“You always hear old people talk about how the world is going to heck in a hay wagon and how much better things were in the 'Good Old Days.' Well, one day it hit me, why not put pen to paper and see if it really was better?" said Foxworthy, speaking on how he came up with The Good Old Days tour. "It didn’t take long for me to realize that this is a comedy gold mine and it covered multi generations.”
The show starts at 7 p.m. at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are $56.50, and are available online at mpaconline.org or by calling the MPAC box office at 334-481-5100. All guests must wear masks and will have their temperatures checked before entering the theater.
Along with being one of the most successful stand-up comics in the country, Foxworthy is a multiple Grammy Award nominee and bestselling author of more than 26 books. Not bad for someone who in the '80s was a "funny guy at work" doing mainframe computer maintenance at IBM.
"I was the guy in the breakroom doing impersonations of the boss," Foxworthy recently said in an episode of "Riding Hungry." He was also carrying out a family legacy. Foxworthy's dad was an IBM executive.
Foxworthy's big break was in 1984 at The Punchline Comedy Club in Atlanta. His first night on stage, Foxworthy entered the Great Southeastern Laugh-off, and won. Along with the prize, he met his wife that night, who was at the club supporting another comic.
After that, Foxworthy knew a life of laughs was his true calling.
"My mother's first question when I quit IBM was, 'Are you on the dope?'" Foxworthy said.
Five years later, after appearing on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson, Foxworthy's mom told him he'd wasted all those years working for IBM.
Widely known for his "You might be a redneck if..." jokes, which he started in 1993, Foxworthy's act goes well beyond that to explore the humor in everyday life. He has a style that has been compared to Mark Twain.
Along with his solo work, Foxworthy was a member of the highly funny Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a troupe with Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White.
During the pandemic, Foxworthy and his family isolated for a couple of months at his 3,000 acre farm, south of Atlanta. Among them is someone who probably ranks in right after Foxworthy's canine "COVID pal" Lilly: his "cousin" Ricky Lee Bagley, who has been doing redneck astrology on Foxworthy's social media.
"Ricky has a gift, or a curse, or I don't know what you'd call it," Foxworthy told fans of his alter ego/relative.
A couple of weeks after Montgomery's show, Foxworthy's 2021 tour includes a stop in his hometown at The Fox Theater in Atlanta, where he will film a comedy special.
Visit www.jefffoxworthy.com or Keep up with Jeff on Facebook @iamJeffFoxworthy and Twitter @foxoutdoors.
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