King Charles Troupe

The King Charles Troupe (KCT or the KCs) is an American group of unicycling and basketball playing circus performers. In 1969, they became the first major African American circus act in modern American circus.[1][2]

Logo

Early history and the Ringlings

The King Charles Troupe, created by Jerry King, hails from the Bronx, New York. A unicycle enthusiast all his life, Mr. King taught his son, Charles, age 6, how to ride a unicycle in the hallway of their apartment building. Kids from the neighborhood soon demanded lessons and the unique one-wheel club was formed. While practicing in Crotona Park, a basketball rolled over to one of the guys ( Albert Owens). He picked it up on his unicycle and shot it into the hoop, thus the idea of basketball on unicycle was born.

The name of the troupe was originally called the Charles Riders, for branding purposes it was later changed to the King Charles Troupe by business manager Bill Minson. Word spread about the Bronx unicyclers, and on April 14, 1968, the guys auditioned for circus producer Irvin Feld on the sidewalk of Madison Square Garden. Irvin was delighted with the act and welcomed them into Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1969 as the first all-black act in the center ring. They performed with RBBBCircus for a consecutive 19 consecutive years as one of the longest running acts in circus history!

Later history

In 1981, KCT performed with the magicians Siegfried and Roy in their show "Beyond Belief" at The Frontier hotel in Las Vegas.[3][4] Siegfried and Roy included the troupe in a number where they escorted a white showgirl down a large staircase, an act that faced "extreme disapproval" from hotel bosses, it was unheard of to mix black and white people that way. Siegfried and Roy said that[4]

For us the King Charles Troupe was more than just a transitional act; we felt they gave our show more body and created an interesting contrast with what we were doing. We had music written especially for the troupe and gave them special lightning. The audience was crazy for the King Charles Troupe and would rock out of their chairs to the rhythm of the music.[4]

In 1996, they performed with the UniverSoul Circus.[5][6]

January 12, 2020 - The King Charles Troupe, the first-all African-American group is honored to have been selected by the prestigious Circus Ring of Fame Foundation as a 2020 Inductee into the Circus Ring of Fame, an award that recognizes people/groups who have made a significant contribution to the art and culture of circus.

July 24, 2021 - The Bronx honored one of its hometown favorites, The King Charles Troupe, with a co-name street ceremony. The street name sign is called "King Charles Unicycle Troupe Way" and sits on the corner of E. 170th St. and Clinton Ave in the Bronx, NY. 1400 Clinton Ave is where Jerry King, wife Alma King, and son, Charles King all lived.

See also

References
  1. Culhane, John (1991). The American circus : an illustrated history (1st Owl book ed.). New York: Holt. pp. 326, 327, 375. ISBN 9780805016475.
  2. Hoh, LaVahn G. (1990). Step right up! : the adventure of circus in America. White Hall, Virginia: Betterway Publications. p. 185. ISBN 9781558701397.
  3. Lavery, Jimmy (2008). The secret life of Siegfried and Roy : how the tiger kings tamed Las Vegas (1st ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Phoenix Books. ISBN 9781597775601.
  4. Fischbacher, Siegfried; Horn, Roy Uwe Ludwig; Tapert, Annette (1992). Siegfried and Roy : mastering the impossible (First ed.). New York. p. 186. ISBN 9780688105518.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. Hammarstrom, David Lewis (2008). Fall of the big top : the vanishing American circus. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 186. ISBN 9780786431694.
  6. "King Charles Troupe". Circus Ring of Fame. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
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