Rick and Bubba
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rick Burgess (born October 3, 1964) and Bill "Bubba" Bussey (born March 27, 1964) are two syndicated comedic radio personalities and authors based in Birmingham, Alabama.
WYSF-94.5 FM in Birmingham serves as their flagship station. Their show can be heard each weekday morning on over 20 radio stations in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and West Virginia. Two hours of their four-hour program were televised live on the Turner South network until April 28, 2006, as Turner South had been sold to Fox Sports in February 2006. The pair calls themselves "The Two Sexiest Fat Men Alive." Their jokes about their weight problems are also evidenced in their annual "Big Fat Lotto" cash giveaway contests.
Their first book, Rick & Bubba's Expert Guide to God, Country, Family & Anything Else We Can Think Of, (ISBN 0-8499-0992-9), was published in March 2006, and quickly became a best-seller at Amazon.com and Books-A-Million.
[edit] History
Both Rick and Bubba grew up in Alabama and were active in athletics at their respective high schools. It was at high school sporting events that they knew of each other. At Jacksonville State University, they became friends by working together at the college's radio station.
After college, Bill got a job as engineer for WQEN, a radio station in Gadsden, Alabama, and recommended Rick for the station's morning show personality. The two began to work together to come up with ideas for the show. One of the ideas was to have Bill read Shakespeare in his deep Southern accent. Rick proclaimed that Bill sounded like his Uncle Bubba. The "Bubba" nickname stuck for Bill. Bubba worked more and more with Rick and eventually became a regular part of Rick's show. The show was renamed "Rick and Bubba," and moved to Birmingham in 1998 when WQEN began targeting the Birmingham market to attract a wider audience. The show moved to WYSF in early 1999.
They often refer to their Christian faith and beliefs on air and have been regarded as a family-safe alternative to "shock jocks" often associated with morning radio. Among their recurring themes are the "greatness" of Fred Dalton Thompson and Robert Horry.
[edit] Other ventures
The duo provided play-by-play commentary for the radio network of the Birmingham Thunderbolts of the XFL in 2001, and owned a short-lived fast food restaurant in Bussey's hometown of Pelham, Alabama in 2002.
The duo also lent their likenesses and voices to a 1990s series of animated television commercials for Jack's, a Birmingham-area fast food chain. In the ads, they were tormented by "Jumping Jack Chicken", a Mick Jagger-styled rooster.
