Killer Beaz is clean comedy mixed with Southern charm

Truett S. Beasley Jr. — better known by his stage name, Killer Beaz — is coming to the Shoals this May, and he’ll be bringing more than four decades of experience as a stand-up comedian, a whirlwind of stories, and a style of comedy that’s as sharp as it is family friendly.

“I’ve been funny since I was a baby,” Beasley said. “My earliest memories are living in a funeral home — my dad was an embalmer, and we lived in a little apartment inside the building. I didn’t understand what was happening, just that a lot of sad people would come and go. And when I made them smile, something lit up in me. That’s where it all started.”

Beasley, born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, has been a fixture in the comedy world for 43 years. His start was unconventional, cutting his teeth in biker bars and country pool halls across the South — places where audiences didn’t exactly arrive for spoken word.

“There were no comedy clubs in Jackson. I had done over 100 shows before I ever saw another comedian perform live,” he said. “Half the time they wouldn’t even turn the jukebox off.”

That all changed when a work trip to Chicago, Illinois, with his music store co-workers led him to Zanies Comedy Club instead of the scheduled convention.

“The chairs were facing the stage. People came in and sat down to listen. And the headliner that night? Jay Leno — before he was even on TV. He absolutely crushed it. That night changed my life.”

Inspired and now armed with a vision for what comedy could look like, Beasley called the nearest comedy club to Jackson — in Birmingham — and got booked. Shortly after that, he did a guest set at Zanies in Nashville, Tennessee, and from there, his career took off.

By 1989, he was featured in Rolling Stone magazine’s first-ever comedy issue.

Alongside a long touring career, Beasley also found success in television. Since 2015, he’s been a regular cast member on Discovery Channel’s hit series “Moonshiners,” now heading into its 10th season.

“I get to travel all over and make moonshine with hillbillies,” he said with a laugh. “These people are absolute geniuses. There’s so much chemistry and physics involved — fermentation, distillation — these are scientists in overalls.”

He’s played all kinds of roles on the show, from bootlegger to still hand to celebrity supplier.

“My first time on the show, I sold $30,000 worth of moonshine to the guitar player who wrote ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ for Lynyrd Skynyrd. We shot that scene at his mansion outside Nashville. It’s been a wild ride.”

Though Beasley has lived a life full of party stories, he said everything changed in January 2021.

“I used to be a party animal. But that month, I changed my life,” Beasley said. “I found my faith, and a few weeks later, I was in the hospital with heart trouble. I was terrified. But I remember this woman rolled in beside me, same procedure, and she told the nurse she didn’t have anyone to call afterward. I just knew I had to pray for her. The fear left me. That moment grounded me.”

Faith now plays a major role in his life and his comedy.

“I hear comics say, ‘If you’re not offending people, you’re not doing your job.’ I disagree,” he said. “Levity is a gift. Wordsmithing is a gift. I think we’re supposed to steward those gifts. You don’t need to leave anybody out.”

Today, his shows are

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Celebrating his 10th season on Discovery Channel’s hit series “Moonshiners,” comedian Killer Beaz is touring the nation when he’s not filming. Killer Beaz has his own unique brand of “laugh out loud” humor that appeals to any audience.

WHEN: The show begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.

WHERE: The Shoals Community Theatre, 123 Seminary St. in Florence TICKETS: Prices start at $35 and are available at www.killerbeaz.com.

known for being clean — appropriate for all ages and backgrounds — but that doesn’t mean soft. “It’s a bone-crusher of a set,” he said. “I’ve had a wild life. I’ve got the experience. And now I’ve got the joy. You can bring Nana to this show.”

Beasley recently celebrated his 25th appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage and he continues to tour across the country. With a four-decade career under his belt, he’s embraced as something of an “OG” (original gangster) in the comedy world — but he’s still having a blast.

“There’re people who’d never step foot in a church, but they’ll come to a comedy show. And they hear the Word,” he said. “Comedy is communion. We’re meant to connect with each other. That’s what I love most — lifting people up.”