Kevin Johnson (ventriloquist)
Encyclopedia
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
who, along with his "fine feathered friends" Clyde and Matilda, has entertained many people. Johnson currently performs every Wednesday at the Welk Resorts Theater in Escondido, California
Escondido, California
Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...
. Johnson is married and lives in nearby Temecula
Temecula, California
Temecula is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States with a population of 100,097 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it the lowest populated American city over 100,000 population. It was incorporated on December 1, 1989...
with his wife Cherie and their three children.
Biography
Born in ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Kevin has been a ventriloquist nearly all his life. It all started when he was 9 years old, after his parents gave him his first pull-string dummy for Christmas. Having no formal training, he taught himself the art of ventriloquism over a 4 year period. He developed his technique from a parrot. It intrigued him that parrots could speak so clearly without the use of lips. So he re-learned how to speak all together with the use of his tongue and his throat.
Kevin was introduced to the stage by his grandfather Harley Noles, who performed magic shows throughout Colorado. He told Kevin, “If you get good enough, you can open for my show.” At the age of 13, he opened for his grandfather with a 5 minute act with a wooden puppet (Raymond), that his grandfather made for him.
A new character has recently been added to Kevin’s show as a tribute to his grandfather, right down to his name, Harley.
Kevin is mostly recognized from his 2006 appearance on NBC’s primetime show America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
. More than 18 million viewers were amazed by his “Godzilla Theater” and Simon Cowell told Kevin, “America loves you.”
In February 2007, Kevin achieved one of his lifelong goals when he appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman.
He recently finished a nine year run at San Diego’s Legoland California Theme Park where he performed 8,824 shows. He is currently performing during the Summer Nights at Busch Gardens Tampa.
Legoland California nominated him for the Big E Awards through IAAPA and won the honor of “Best Male Performer” in 2004 and 2006. Kevin is the only performer to be recognized twice. IAAPA is the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, and includes attractions from over 90 countries.
From corporate events to cruise ships, Kevin has always been known for his “clean comedy” and is loved and appreciated by audiences of all ages.
Clyde and Matilda
In 1983, Johnson was introduced to Clyde the BuzzardBuzzard
A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
in his native state of Colorado, and performed his first "real" show with his grandfather. Nearly 10 years later, in 1991, Kevin was introduced to Matilda the Cockatoo
Cockatoo
A cockatoo is any of the 21 species belonging to the bird family Cacatuidae. Along with the Psittacidae and the Strigopidae , they make up the parrot order Psittaciformes . Placement of the cockatoos as a separate family is fairly undisputed, although many aspects of the other living lineages of...
. After adding Matilda to Clyde to become a trio, he would astound audiences with unique and interesting gags.
Jobs
During his college days, Johnson taught and entertained youth at a local church where he found a receptive audience for his humor. Upon graduation from collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in El Cajon, California, Johnson started performing at the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
in 1994. Then, Johnson auditioned at Legoland California to pursue his art full time, and in February 1999, Johnson got the spot and was performing three to four 20-minute shows each day at the Legoland Playtown Theater. In 2004 and 2006, Johnson was presented the "Best Male Performer" award from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).
Every Tuesday at the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido, California
Escondido, California
Escondido is a city occupying a shallow valley ringed by rocky hills, just north of the city of San Diego, California. Founded in 1888, it is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. The city had a population of 143,911 at the 2010 census. Its municipal government set itself an operating...
, Johnson performs a 40 minute show alongside magician Anthony the Magic in the show entitled "The Comedy and Magic Show".
America's Got Talent
In June 2006, Johnson appeared on the NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
show America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
. He amazed the audience and the judges with his signature "Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
Theater" performance, during which his voice and the voices of his puppets are out of synchronization with their mouth movements. He had developed a different version of his performance specifically for the semi-finals, in which he also exchanges voices with his puppets and simulates echos, but didn't get enough audience votes to advance to the finals.