“Misty” Howard: The Travis Street Magician With A Mean Sleight of Hand
In the October 6, 1947 printing of The Stroller, magician “Misty” Howard invites Byrd to his magic shop for some card trickery. During the visit, Byrd warmly refers to Howard as, “the world’s finest magician” in-between casual conversation and career advice.
Magical Beginnings
Born and raised in Tennessee, Howard Campbell became fascinated with magic at a young age. After seeing a Harry “The” Greatstone performance, he decided to become a magician. He completed The Tarbell Course of Magic as a teenager and upon graduation, traveled from coast-to-coast performing at schools throughout the nation.
After covering 46 out of the then 48 states during his time as a traveling magician, he settled down in the Houston area in the early 1940s. In February 1942, he and his wife, Ruth, opened Howard’s Fun Shop at 908 1/2 Travis.
The Campbells would later relocate the shop to 812 Mckinney Street.
Outside of Sigman’s accounts and Howard’s career as a professional magician, not much else is known about the Campbells on a personal level. The Houston 1951 City Directory lists both Howard and Ruth as the owners of Howard’s Fun Shop and their home address as 1645 Bonnie Brae Avenue. Built in 1935, the home is still standing today.
Howard the…musician?
Interestingly, the 1941 Beaumont City Directory lists the Campbells’ residence as 1243 Liberty Avenue and Howard’s occupation as, “musician.” While searching for more information, I did find a record company called Phamous Records occupying the same address as Howard’s Travis Street shop.
It seems that Phamous Records specialized in vision-impaired and blind country music acts. Their biggest act was a collective called the “Blind Troubadours” who even had a few records worthy of being mentioned in Billboard Magazine.
Did Howard Campbell have anything to do with this record company? We will likely never know for certain. However, Sigman Byrd did describe Howard as having, “…gimlet-sharp eyes, although he’s totally blind in the right one – from a childhood accident – and has only 21/100 vision in the left.” Coincidence?
Howard passed away in 1966 at the age of 58, leaving behind an impression that is still noticeable today. I discovered plenty of former Howard’s Fun Shop visitors on various Houston forums and social media pages. Each one of them had something positive to say about Howard himself, his shop, and magic’s impact on their childhood.