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Kent Cummins is an American magician, juggler, author, teacher, magic historian and founder of the Austin Magic Auction and Fantastic Magic Camp.
Biography
Kent Cummins got an A.C. Gilbert Company Mysto Magic Exhibition Set from his dad for Christmas in 1949 at the age of six, and declared, “I am going to be a Magician!” Naturally, he called himself, “Mysto.” Kent discovered magic books in the library, and now is proud of his large personal collection of books, magazines, lecture notes, catalogs, and memorabilia related to magic and variety arts at his Fantastic Magic Center in Georgetown, Texas.
The first magician he saw was Blackstone Senior, who inspired his love of stage magic. His mentor was Louis Berkie, proprietor of the ELBEE Company and the Fun ‘N Magic Shop in San Antonio, Texas. Berkie gave Kent his first summer job at the age of 14 and took him to his first magic convention, the 1957 IBM Convention in Houston.
Kent’s first public show was in 1952 at the age of nine; his first paid show ($3.00) was the following year. While at Baton Rouge High School, Kent started the HI-Y Club and the Junior Society for Psychical Research (JSPR), and created the “Horror Hop” concept combining spook shows with record hops. While at Louisiana State University, Kent worked at the Checker Fun Shop and started both the Checker Magic Club and the Gordin Theatre Magic Club.