J. B. Bobo (11 February 1910 in Texarkana, Texas â 12 September 1996) 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) is still considered today to be a core reference by most magicians.
He also wrote Watch This One! â 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.
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.