Cowboy Bill Martin talks about his CMT stand-up special 'Let the Laughter Roll'

Cowboy Bill Martin isn’t a big name yet, but there’s a good chance that’ll change this weekend. Set to make his national television debut and air his first comedy special synonymously, Cowboy Bill Martin: Let the Laughter Roll, premiering on Saturday, November 21 on CMT at 11:30 PM CT/12:30 AM ET, is more than a proper hour-long introduction for those who haven’t seen the 19-year comedian in action, and also a firmer reminder to his fans of what made him earn his time in the first place.

As he touches on everything from marriage to spanks wearing, Let the Laughter Roll, directed by John Reynolds, proves the Texas-based personality is far more than just a country comedian. He’s a loving husband and father of five. He’s traveled the world, performed in front of over 2,500 people as he’s worked with the Carnival Cruise Lines these past five years and has worked with the likes of Brad Paisley, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Rascal Flatts, and George Jones, to just name a few. He may seem like an overnight success story, but he comes with nearly two decades of professional comedy under his hat. But why not just let the man tell you about his career himself?

In an exclusive interview, Cowboy Bill talks to TheCelebrityCafe.com about cancelling his dream home to make his first special, filming it in the historic Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth, Texas, condensing nearly two-and-a-half hours down to one hour, career advice he’s learned from Jones and Bill Engvall, what specials inspired him when he made his first, his cancer foundation Cowboys Who Care and more. Check it out below, and see why you’ll want to make sure your DVR is set. If it isn’t already, of course.

TheCelebrityCafe.com: So something I noticed in this special is that, even though you’re a definitely a Texan at heart, there’s something very approachable and very human about your hour for anyone who watches. It adds a nice balance between your individual personality and something universal. So I was wondering about how you struck that balance throughout?

Cowboy Bill Martin: You know the funny thing is that, people call me Cowboy Bill, and it’s not a character that I created. It’s my grandpa that gave me that title when I was born. His name is William Lee Martin, and my name is William Lee Martin. But he didn’t want me to be called Little Bill, so he started calling me Cowboy Bill from the beginning. So I didn’t create a character; I just put me on stage, and hopefully that comes out. You know?

TCC: Definitely. And as you were making this special, was there anything in particular that surprised you about the process?

CBM: The entire process has been kinda surprising. You know, we didn’t have anybody, like a big-name manager or agent. We just decided one day, my wife and I. We found a house that she really loved, and instead of putting down the down payment — we had put a down payment seven days into the thing, and we had ten days to get out of it —seven days into it, we were setting up the kitchen table and I said, “You know honey, we can go out and make money with Carnival Cruise Lines — you know, I’m doing a lot of those things — and clubs for the next twenty years. Or we can go for it, and try to shoot a special and see if we can sell it.

And to her credit, she said, “Let’s go for it.” We shoved all the money into the center of the table, we cancelled the dream home and we went out and started shooting a special that night. I hired a great filmmaker named John Reynolds, and his crew at Middlin’ Creative, and we just went out and shot it. And then we went and shopped it. And then that process has been, you know, one step after the next step, and this is all of our baby. Then CMT found it and loved it, and it’s just… now I’m a 19-year overnight success story. [Laughs]

TCC: And the Rose Marine was pretty much the perfect place to shoot it, just based on your history and the atmosphere you wanted to create. Was that the place you had in mind from the beginning, or was it just chance that you got to shoot there?

CBM: You know, they kept asking me — my agent kept asking me — “Do you want to shoot it in New York or LA?” And I said, “You know, I really want to shoot it at home.” The Rose Marine Theater became available, and it’s about half a mile from Hell’s (Half) Acres in Fort Worth. You know, it’s famous. That’s where Sundance Kid was and everything else, and the theater itself is actually from vaudeville. And they say it’s still haunted, which is kinda cool. But it’s also two miles from where my dad climbed in-and-out of a truck every week, and my mom worked at a diner. And then, you know, 25 years later, 30 years later, I’m working on the stage two miles from that. And they’re going to put it on television. So there was a cool synergy and energy in that room that I couldn’t have found in New York or LA.

TCC: Definitely. And from what I heard, you had about two and a half hours worth of material that you condensed into this one hour. I was curious what the selection process was for choosing what you would pick for this hour?

CBM: Well, we wanted to go with stuff that was very me. And when we were selecting the material, we looked at it and we wanted to find who I am and, you know, now that I’m in my mid-40s, and my wife and I have five kids together. And I always say all the time, “We’re not good Catholics. We’re just really bad Methodists.” So I went with the material that I thought defined us. Because, you know, to a lot of people, this is the introduction to them. To America, with my comedy. So we wanted to make sure that, when you tune it, I don’t do a lot of stuff about being a cowboy or anything else; I wanted to do relatable material so, when people watch, they forget about the cowboy hat five minutes into the show.

TCC: You’re not afraid to get personal throughout your act, with your history and just general information about yourself. Was this something you were always comfortable with? Or was that something you grew into doing throughout your career?

CBM: You know, it takes a while to get comfortable in your own shoes, and to be able to lift the mask and show everybody on stage who you really are. And it took a while. But I tell young comics all the time now, I say, “Quit trying to be funny, and just report funny.” You know, God made us our own little punchlines, and if you just report what you’ve lived, then no one can ever accuse you of stealing material. And then people really get to know you. And I think that’s what the last five years really has done. Now we’re meeting on a personal level, and we’re not afraid to show the scars and the bumps. Because the scars and the bumps, that’s what life is about.

TCC: And since you’ve gotten the chance to work with a lot of great comedians and prolific musicians and whatnot, is there any piece of advice about professional comedy that has really stuck out with you over the years?

CBM: Yeah, I toured with George Jones for three years, on-and-off. The late, great George Jones. And one night, he put his arm around me and he said, “You know, son, you stay away from the booze and the women, you’re go a long way in this business.” And I smiled and I said, “Daddy, that’s why I got in this business.” He hugged me, and he goes, “Me too, but don’t tell my wife Nancy.” [laughs]

TCC: Has your family gotten the chance to watch the special yet?

CBM: Absolutely, all except my youngest daughter. You know, because this is a silly grown up show, and she’s 10. But the rest of the kids have all seen it, and my dad — he’s so exciting— you know, he’s 80 now, and he’s real sweet because he’s trying to get into heaven.

But he’s a big fan — and I was telling a friend of mine the other day — you know, my mom passed away in 1998, and I started comedy in 1996. And I was at his house, at my dad’s house, I guess, last Christmas, and I saw this book underneath the coffee table and I said, “What’s that?” And he said, “Oh, just leave it there.” And I opened it up, and it’s a scrapbook that my mother started. So it was 1996 and 1997. They put things in from the newspaper and whatnot. And then ’98, the year she died. And I flipped through there, and there was 2000, and 2001, all the way up to 2014. And the tears started streaming down my face, and my dad goes, “Oh God, if I knew that you were going to turn into a ball bag, I wouldn’t have kept up with it.” So he’s a big fan of it now, man.

TCC: Awesome. As this is not only your first special but also your TV debut, how does it feel to kill two birds with one stone with this?

CBM: You know, we’re going into ground that not a lot of comics… as a matter of fact, I don’t think any comic has made their national television debut with a full, one hour special. So we’re going into an area that a lot of people haven’t gone. So I feel very honored to be able to do that. Because now, no other comic can go, “Well, we can’t do it because of this. And you can’t do it because of that.” Because, we’re proving you can do it.

TCC: And when you found out CMT was going to air the special, what were some of the thoughts that ran in your head in that moment?

CBM: We were overjoyed, as a matter of fact. We got a call from the district distribution company, Inception Media Group, and they said, “You won’t believe this, but CMT wants this thing, and they want it real bad.” And you know, obviously, when you’re gambling on your entire career and you see it come true, it’s a big day. It’s a big moment. And I think the biggest moment has got to be the fact that I was able to DVR it two days ago. My special is on the cable, and with a synopsis and everything else. So I took a picture of it and I put it on Facebook.

TCC: And speaking of your audience, now that you have — or you’re going to have — this hour released, are you nervous that you might not be able to do as much comedy as you could have before?

CBM: Oh no, I think it’s going to open up so much. You know, with having two-and-a-half hours of material, we’re ready to go. The great Waylon Jennings said once, “You have your entire life to make your first album, and then you have nine months to make the second one.” And the fortune thing about having all the material that we have is that we’re ready to roll with the next album as soon as we’re ready to do it.

TCC: Have you begun the steps to have your second special?

CBM: We have. You know, the guy who shot the film, John —who I mentioned earlier —he and I have become business partners now. And we’re already working on the plans to do the next special, called The Nutcracker.

TCC: Can you tell me where you are in the process with that one so far?

CBM: The material is ready to go; we’re just waiting to see how the special takes off —and hopefully it will — on Saturday, on November 21 on CMT. And then we’ll go to the next process from that point.

TCC: And you recently announced that you’re going to be returning to the Carnival Cruise Line with the Carnival Magic Tour in 2016. How does it feel —after doing this special — to go back into the groove of things with them?

CBM: Well, a good friend of mine, Mr. Bill Engvall, told me … he sent me a note and he congratulated me on the special, and he said, “Don’t plan for anything to happen to your career. Just go on as if it never happened, and just be thankful as it blows up.” And that’s what we did. So we’re not sitting by the phone, waiting for things to happen. We’re going to go ahead and jump back on it there, and continue on, and hopefully what the special does is open up us to three-or-four million people at one time. And that’s what we’re looking forward to.

TCC: And something that really stood out when I was watching the special was how great you were with crowd work. So I was wondering, was most of the special exactly as you planned, or was there a lot of improvisation throughout?

CBM: You know, some of it’s planned, and some of it was off the top. The audience was just amazing that night. That was just the cool thing about it. After 19 years of doing stand-up, I’ve seen nearly every heckle, and I’ve heard nearly every line. So, you’re prepared for almost anything at this point.

TCC: And you made it evident that you were really inspired by a lot of comedians and you watched a lot of specials, but were there any in particular that inspired you as you were making this one?

CBM: Oh yeah. Chris Rock’s very first special. You know, he shot it in a theater similar to the theater we shot it in. It’s about four or five hundred people — it looked like — in his special. Obviously, I’m a big fan of Tim Allen. His very first special on Showtime, Men Are Pigs — that’s kind of what lit the spark in me in 1995 to even do this thing. And I’m a big fan of comedy anyway. There are so many that are putting out good products. So we watched a lot, and we watched some people do it great, and did (see) some people that, you know, I’m sure they looked at it and wished they would have done it differently. But we learned from a lot of different folks.

TCC: And this was one I was just curious about: If you were on an island, and you could only bring three comedy specials and/or albums with you, do you know what those would be?

CBM: If I was on an island, and a comedy special… One would be Eddie Murphy: Delirious. The other one would be Jerry Crowler, just because of my dad. And the last one would be Bill Cosby: Himself — which is still, pound for pound, one of the best albums anyone has ever put out. It’s an hour-and-a-half long, and it’s just non-stop laughter. The laughs from there are huge. He’s got long, drawn-out bits and, you know, he acts it out. And I know he’s gone through a lot of different stuff, but that particular special, Bill Cosby: Himself, is one of the reasons why I became a comedian.

TCC: And I have one last question for you. I was curious how you founded, and continue to work with, the Cowboys Who Care foundation?

CBM: Oh, thanks for asking. That’s really nice of you, Will. We started about four years ago, with a young lady named Ashley Miller. And she was about 12 years old when I met her. Her parents were big fans of mine, and she had a rare form of cancer and they asked me to put my name on a golf tournament to raise some money for her. And we were happy to do that. And her cancer went into remission and it came back with a vengeance, and she lost that battle with cancer in June of 2011. Since then, I’ve tried to get myself involved with pediatric cancer, because my wife and I — like I said — we have five kids and they’re healthy. We saw the Millers went through and we wanted to help, but I couldn’t figure it out.

And then one day, I just Googled kids with cancer images, and it kind of opened me up to the universe kind-of thing. We had already seen five beautiful faces, beautiful smiles and bald heads, and in the mirror I could see my cowboy hat and that’s when it hit me: these kids need cowboy hats. What 7-year-old wants to wear a wig, and what kid wouldn’t want to wear a cowboy hat? So my wife and I formed Cowboys Who Care Foundation, a non-profit organization, and we started delivering cowboy hats about 28 months ago. 28 months now — with the help of Resistol, a hat company here in Texas — we’ve been able to deliver a little over 420 brands of cowboy hats to boys and girls across the country.

Cowboy Bill Martin: Let the Laughter Roll airs 11:30 PM CT/12:30 PM ET on CMT. You can read more about him on his website, and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.