BOb Smiley

Bob Smiley grew up in Era, Texas where he freely admits that he was taught that Texas is the only real state "worth a darn" in the entire country. His high school youth group used to conduct church service for a nearby nursing home. Bob first began doing stand-up at this local nursing home, partly because he found that people listened to what he had to say about Jesus Christ if he was entertaining, but mostly because the elderly people were too nice to ask him to go away. Bob then went off to Abilene Christian University in Abilene, TX in order to pursue a Christian education. While majoring in elementary education at A.C.U., Bob found a way to make a little extra money on the side stand-up comedy. Pulling in $150-$500 at monthly competitions, Smiley found comedy to be a lucrative venture, but never imagined it would become his career. Upon graduation, Bob did what most college

You may have seen Bob on tour opening for such groups as The Newsboys, The O.C. Supertones, Third Day, Audio Adrenaline, Clay Crosse, or Sonic Flood. You may have gone to one of Bob's 64 concerts that he co-headlined with Riley Armstrong. You might have read one of his articles in Christian Musician, Real Magazine, or Crosswalk.com. Or maybe you have just had a good laugh browsing through his website. However you found Bob, chances are you want to keep him! This Texas-born comedian has a heart for bringing people closer to knowing God by getting them to laugh at everyday stories and the "not so everyday" situations that Bob constantly finds himself surrounded by. Bob states, "I've found that if I can make people laugh and enjoy my show, they are more apt to listen to my story of how I became a Christian and hopefully they will leave not only knowing that Jesus is a big part of my life but that He should be a big part of their life."

In his comedy show, Smiley talks a lot about the cross and its' significance. Bob says, "God has already paid the price for your sin, so all you have to do is stay faithful and go out into the world and spread His word. I want to get people out of their comfort zones. I want to encourage people to not just accept Jesus, but to get out there and make some noise, have some enthusiasm about the God we serve."

His stand up includes stories about growing up in a small town, family life, home schooling, dating (or.. uh .. not dating), college, marriage, and (most recently) having a child. This last topic was added on July 5th, 2000 when Bob and his wife of 3 1/2 years had their first son.

Hopefully, this has given you a little more information as to how Bob got to where he is. However, the best way to find out more information about him is to just ask him. Bob loves people and whether he is on a stage in front of 4,000 people, or praying alone with a new Christian, he is very genuine, and cares for everyone he meets.

"I feel like most of the ministry I do actually happens after my shows when I get to meet everyone. That's the time I love the most, when we can start sharing our testimonies or praying for each other or maybe just laughing some more. Its that personal connection that makes it all worthwhile", says Bob.

graduates do - he got a job involving absolutely nothing he had studied in college. He became a professional photographer in Dallas, TX where he worked for one year. Towards the end of that year, Smiley received an unexpected call from an old college friend who now lived in Nashville, TN, and was working as a Road Manager for Christian singer Clay Crosse. This old friend had seen Bob do stand-up in college, and wanted to know if Bob was interested in going out on tour with Clay Crosse as a Merchandising Manager, with the idea of getting up in-between the acts and entertaining the audience. Well, Bob\s brand of clean comedy was well met with the audiences and he began to get many other offers to do stand-up. That was five years ago. Since then, Bob has continued to tour with many Christian bands, perform at several major Christian festivals around the United States, as well as doing his own private comedy shows in churches, schools and colleges.