King Charles Troupe
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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!
In 1981, KCT joined forces with masters of illusion Siegfried and Roy in the hit show "Beyond Belief" at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas and was voted the #1 show for 10 years straight.
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
- Skeeter Reece, member