J. B. Bobo

J. B. Bobo (11 February 1910 in Texarkana, Texas โ€“ 12 September 1996)[1][2] was a magician most known for his work and writing in the arena of coin magic.

His work entitled Modern Coin Magic (originally published in 1952)[3] is still considered today to be a core reference by most magicians.

He also wrote Watch This One! โ€” a collection of magical effects performable with small objects. He once disappointed a young crowd due to having a car accident while attempting to drive to a show at Howell Elementary in Springhill, Louisiana.

Bobo's great-grandfather was Jean Beaubeaux who, when immigrating to America, was induced to spell his name 'Bobo', a phonetic transliteration of the French Beaubeaux into English.

Career

After Bobo was born in Texarkana, Texas, he moved with his family to Ontario, Canada. In Winsdor, Canada, his father operated a restaurant. J.B. Bobo began to be interested in coin magic when he was taught a coin trick by another magician, and he had his first performance in the Winsdor Theatre. After he finished highschool, he became a carpenter, later he became a free lance window display decorator. During that time, he also performed magic for different local events. Bobo married Lillian Carlow and gave her a role in his act. When they got more successful, they had up to 400-450 shows per year. J.B. Bobo died with 86 years and was buried at East Memorial Gardens cemetery, Texarkana, Arkansas.[4]

Publications

  • Modern Coin Magic ISBN 978-1-4209-7114-9
  • The New Modern Coin Magic
  • Watch This One!
  • The Bobo Magic Show

References

  1. ^ "Biographies Page AB". Archived from the original on 2014-06-29. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  2. ^ J. B. Bobo (1910โ€“1996) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas
  3. ^ Bobo, J.B. (1981). Modern Coin Magic: 116 Coin Sleights and 236 Coin Tricks. New York: Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-24258-3.
  4. ^ "J. B. Bobo - Magicpedia". geniimagazine.com. Retrieved 2025-12-03.