Reverend Billy C. Wirtz

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Reverend Billy C. Wirtz is a recording artist whose material consists of irreverent comedy routines set to music. His humor is somewhat raunchy, if not offensive, and thus is not normally considered suitable for children. His material often mocks conservative politics and religion.

Wirtz was born in 1954 in the small town of Aiken, South Carolina. His father was a federal employee and a sociologist while his mother was a writer. His family moved to Washington, D.C. when he was nine years old.

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 (NAIRD). Found on that album is perhaps his most famous parody of the all-American icon, Waffle House. In his song, Waffle House Fire, while never outright offensive or disdainful of the enterprise, he subtly captures the mood and tenor of the 3:00 a.m. insanity that exists therein, and which would likewise attract and imprison a restless soul in what he phrases "a 24-hour breakfast hell."

The Nashville Network, USA Network 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. Wirtz performs concerts and at festivals and events, and on his website humorously "advertizes" he is available for "your club, bar mitzvah, or piercing."

[edit] Singles and EPs

Stairway to Freebird/On the Rag Again - No Big Deal Records (undated)
Rib Ticklin' - Memphis in May International Festival Inc (2000)
The Best of the Wirtz (5 track Radio promo) - Hightone Records (2001)

[edit] Albums

Salvation Through Polyester - No Big Deal Records (1983)
Rev Elation - Rest Stop Records (1985)
Deep Fried and Sanctified - King Snake Records (1988)
Deep Fried and Sanctified - Hightone Records (1989)
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)
Sermon from Bethlehem - Blind Pig Records (2006)