Sideshow Bennie

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Sideshow Bennie is a classic sideshow performer based out of Nashville, Tennessee. His classic human oddity feats are a throwback to the great American sideshows of the past. Many of his performances include circus skills but are never limited to: fire breathing, bed of nails, glass walking, human blockhead, human dartboard, stapling, swallowing 24 inch unlit glowsticks and regurgitating them completely lit up, bear traps, and comedy. He is most often booked in variety shows, vaudeville shows, burlesque shows, concerts, festivals, and theme parks.

[edit] Biography

In the mid to late 1960’s, a young Benjamin Wade witnessed some of the last of the traveling side shows working the fair and carnival circuit and he was hooked. He developed a life long fascination with the working acts, the Blockheads and the Torture Kings, and over the years began to learn, little by little, the secrets behind those amazing and unbelievable feats. Ben trained with "The Original Human Blockhead" Melvin Burkhart.

After becoming adept at these feats, and wishing to expand his audience beyond his circle of mystified friends, he took on the name of SideShow Bennie, and began performing, using his unique wit combined with the astonishing acts he had perfected, to thrill local audiences in his hometown of Nashville. It wasn’t long before he started working regionally and soon began attracting a national audience.

A one man 10-in-1, Bennie has taken his act on the road and has performed in many non-traditional venues such as tattoo conventions, motorcycle events, arts festivals, colleges and nightclubs. He has shocked and amazed audiences from Miami to Seattle and everywhere in between. He has appeared on many television shows on networks such as E! Entertainment TV, VH-1, CMT, and he was the featured performer in the documentary Stomachs Of Steel which has aired many times on The Discovery Channel. He has been both a headliner and has appeared as an opener for many musical acts including Th' Legendary Shack Shakers, Big and Rich and Alice Cooper. In the Summer of 2007 he performed at Bonnaroo.

Bennie often caters his show to any audience, from all ages to adults only. Bennie continues to carry on the tradition of the traveling working act like his forebearers and yet, his act is up to date and contains current humor of many pop culture topics.