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	History of Performing Magic in Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun

Welcome to the History of Performing Magic in Phoenix and The Valley Of The Sun.

I am announcing the release of a massive magical history project that has taken over twenty years to compile. Here's some important info before you use this site. First, the bulk, (but not all) of the items in this collection come from Ed and Nanci Keener who began their career in Phoenix and then went on to tour the world for the next 30 years. Many many others, including but not limited to, Laurence Parsons and Diana Zimmerman among them, have also contributed and for that we are grateful.

Here's the backstory:

The Keeners, Ed and Nanci, and the Zinns, Brad and Brenda, have been very close friends since the Keeners returned home to the USA in the summer of 1986, after 21 years of performing in Europe. Ed Keener, a photography buff, took hundreds and hundreds of 35 mm color slides of their life, career, and magic-related events and people around the world, beginning in 1955.

I have been in possession of those slides since before Ed passed away in January of 2006. I have scanned all of them that were related to the magical arts and have now posted them to this website detailing the history of magic in Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun. Each photo was scanned, color corrected, re-sized, and cropped, to the best of my ability, in order to preserve the best quality possible. Each item is then given a description with the information that is available and that which can be confirmed. More information will be added as it is received.

Other people from this area, including Laurence Parsons and Diana Shultz Zimmerman have also contributed copious amounts of historical material from the 1950's to the present. Local magicians have also contributed some of their personal material to help compile this extensive history of performing magicians in Phoenix. I have contributed my own magic history collection as well. (This history is by no means “complete”. You may notice that a few magicians who might be properly included are missing. I put out a request for materials and some performers did not respond. Hence, they are not well represented.)

As of April, 2024, I have created 187 “Albums” with a grand total of 6,214 individual items (i.e., photos, news articles, printed programs, posters, etc.) contained within. Each “Album” is concerned with a specific person or event. There are over 25 years of magic newsletters giving a rich written history of magic in the Valley of the Sun. To be fair there are a very limited number of duplicate images. This occurred when an item properly belonged in more than one album for completeness. There will be more items added as they become available.

There are also many links to videos included in these “Albums”, so keep an eye out for those glimpses into magical history captured on video! (Album titles with an asterisk contain video links. Look for the asterisk.)

Finally, I would appreciate any feedback you may have. This is my “legacy” project to pay back the 50+ years of my association with the magical arts. I hope to preserve a very important piece of magical history for future generations to have for reference and inspiration. This is my way of “paying it forward”.

I am now ready to release this history project for worldwide consumption by the international magical community. Please feel free to share this with others in the magic community and help spread the word. Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun can be very proud of the many fine performers we have nurtured and shared with the world over the years.

This is not a “cost-free” undertaking. There are hard costs associated with web hosting, and domain names. I have no desire to make a profit off this endeavor. I do however wish to see a fund created to allow for this site to continue after I am no longer here. To that end I am asking for donations of ANY size to be made for the maintenance and upkeep of this site for the future. Thank you in advance for your contribution. If you wish to make a contribution by Zelle or PayPal, please use the “Contact Us” link to let us know and we will send you the proper info to make a donation via those services.

I also wish to publicly thank Rudy Sterbenz who has been invaluable in transferring this compilation from Facebook to this website. This simply would have not happened without his dedicated efforts. Rudy was himself a part of Phoenix Magic History as an accomplished member of the Rabbits In Our Hat Junior Magic Club in the 1970's and 80's.

International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) Ring 55 “The Mystic Thirteen”, later renamed the “Bert Easley/Danny Dew Ring” was chartered on August 13th, 1947. August 2022 marks the 75th Anniversary of this momentous occasion in the history of entertaining magic in the greater Phoenix area. It is therefore fortuitous to release this history project to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of I.B.M. Ring 55, where it all started for me. (See the album covering this event!)

To use this site most effectively:

1. Click on “Albums” and scroll down the page to select which Album you'd like to view.
2. Click on the “thumbnail” image OR the title of the album below the thumbnail.
3. Once the Album opens, please read the information at the top of the page (if any), then click on the first thumbnail image on the far left top side of the page. This will enlarge the image.
4. Use the “Right” arrow to advance to the next image. Read any info connected to that image in the comments, or possibly see a link to a video connected to that image. Do this to the end of the Album.
5. Use the “Left” arrow to go back to a previous image.
6. Use the “Up” arrow to return to the page of Album thumbnails, then click again to return to Albums and select another Album to view.
7. HINT: Albums with an asterisk * in the title contain video links.

I humbly look forward to hearing from you! Thank you in advance for your time and attention to this project. My thanks to my wife, Brenda, for her patience with me as I completed this task.

Click here to view the Albums.

Brad Zinn
Order of Merlin, Excalibur, I.B.M. (50 Years)
Past President, Past Vice-President, Past Secretary-Treasurer, I.B.M. Ring 55
Past Territorial Vice-President, I.B.M.
Past Vice-President, S.A.M. Assembly 248
Charter Member S.A.M. Assembly 177
Past Sergeant-at-Arms, S.A.M. Assembly 177
Charter Member S.A.M. Assembly 248
Charter Member I.B.M. Ring 356
I.B.M. Ring 55 Close-up Magician of the Year, 1976
I.B.M. Ring 55, S.A.M. Assembly 248, Magician Of The Year, 2000
S.A.M. Assembly 248 Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016
I.B.M. Ring 55 Lifetime Achievement Award, 2023