Born on the 22nd of July 1932 at 7:40pm in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland and christened James Lister Cook.

My father George Cook (coal miner, bar manager, and amateur boxer) and my mother Georgina Lister (a linen weaver who could apply herself to many other skills - and often had to with six children to look after) were married on the 28th of September,1923 in Kirkcaldy. In those days, large families were common and outside entertainment was scarce but occasionally my mother dragged me to the ‘Pathhead Halls’ on a saturday evening to see a variety show when I would rather be outside with my pals. However, a magician called Jimmy Hynd baffled me one evening with the vanishing wand. Little did I know that  the secret of this miniature illusion was fatefully about to reveal itself. Perhaps being there was a mother’s intuition!

In September of 1945,  my brother died and left me two small magic books, including “Magic Made Easy” by David Devant. Would you believe  -  the magic wand trick performed by Jimmy Hynd was found between the covers? A home-made version was quickly contrived and my pals were invited to attend a ‘lobby’ show of magic. This was the beginning of an interrupted vocation that would eventually lead to ‘Campbell McRae - The Magician’. The magic bug had nibbled but not yet taken a bite.

I left school in 1946 with no qualifications and started work in a local garage. My apprenticeship began two years later and was completed in 1953. Throughout my teens, I had ambitions to become a professional footballer and played for several local clubs whilst magic took a back seat.  By the time I had reached the age of twenty-two I was forced to  accept the inevitable, realizing that if I was destined to be a professional footballer it would have happened by now.

A visit to the ‘White Heather Road House’, Kirkcaldy, in 1955 introduced me to that human encyclopedia of magic, the late Jimmy Hynd of Kirkcaldy,  who was compering the weekend cabaret and performing magic between acts. Two weeks later and it was time for Jim Cook to face the Kirkcaldy Magic Circle and convince them that he was worthy of membership. Using home-made props when you don't really understand magic,  is not the best way to impress any audience but bless their hearts they gave me a nod of acceptance and that was the signal for me to take magic more seriously.  Yes, the bug had now bitten hard and the gap left by football was now well and truly filled!

On Tuesday the 16th. June 1959, fate took a turn when my petrol soaked sleeve caught fire, resulting in severe burns to my right hand & forearm. Six months(spread over two years) in Bangour Hospital, West Lothian  followed where I underwent plastic surgery. This in turn led to a pair of unique events. The first, was the making of a film for Mr A. C. Buchan(Plastic Surgeon) who performed his own kind of magic in saving my hand. The other was performing the Cups & Balls and other classics of magic for eminent surgeons in the main lecture theatre of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. This was my first public show since the accident and I still recall the late Professor Dott(Brain Surgeon & Engineer) nearly falling off his seat whilst laughing at the apparent inability of this young magician to control his own magical effects. Two weeks later a repeat performance was requested and the place was packed. This second visit was more of an ordeal because the only tricks I had re-mastered during my recovery were performed in the first show.                                          Next Page