'I do love Canadian audiences': Jeff Foxworthy finds rednecks wherever he goes

CTV Windsor: Jeff Foxworthy interview Comedian Jeff Foxworthy talks about how his redneck shtick started in Detroit. Melanie Borrelli reports.

WINDSOR — Some may find it hard to believe popular American blue collar comedian actually started out fixing computers.

Before he got into comedy, Jeff Foxworthy used to make his coworkers laugh at his job at IBM.

"I was the guy at IBM that was doing impersonations of the boss in the break room and then the boss would walk in," Foxworthy told CTV News in a phone interview.

However, he knew comedy was his real calling and at the urging of his IBM friends, entered and won a laugh-off competition at Atlanta’s Punchline club in 1984.

He began performing at small shows outside of his native state of Georgia. One night during a stop in Lavonia, Michigan, near Detroit, he first tried his "Redneck" jokes that would turn him into a superstar comedian.

"I said whoa, whoa, whoa, if you don't think you have rednecks in Michigan come look out the window. People are valet parking at the bowling alley," says Foxworthy.

That night he came up with a set of 10 "You might be a redneck" jokes. He says the audience in Detroit loved them, so he decided to write even more and the list grew to over 100.

In 1993, he released the comedy album "You Might Be a Redneck If…", which sold more than three million copies, wrote a book that sold over 4.5 million copies and in 1995 he earned his first Grammy nomination for “Games Rednecks Play”.

Foxworthy, 61, says part of the reason they became such a hit is because the redneck fad was resonating with people all over North America.

"Anywhere you have flannel shirts and beer, you're going to find my people," says Foxworthy.

Which is why Foxworthy isn't surprised Canadians can relate to the redneck theme.

"I do love Canadian audiences, I don't know why,” adds Foxworthy. “I think maybe Canadian audiences aren’t quite as up tight as American audiences."

Foxworthy ways Windsor fans can expect some stories from his day-to-day activities in his upcoming show at Caesars Windsor.

"It's always kind of whatever's going on in my life right now, so I've actually been writing lot," says Foxworthy.

The best-selling author of more than 26 books says he's still working on finding out what makes people laugh.

"After 36 years I still don't know what's funny, but the audience does and they tell you," he says.

Foxworthy also gets to critic other aspiring comedians as one of the judges on the new NBC comedy competition show “Bring The Funny”.

Foxworthy takes the Caesars Windsor stage on Jan. 26. Tickets are available at the Caesars Windsor box office or online.