Brown, was born on a ranch, in the great state of Texas, near Waco, on the 13th. day of August in 1936.
It was said that he had learned how to ride a horse, rope a calf, and shoot a gun almost
before he could walk. It is known for sure that he was a very fine horseman at a very young age.
Joe, had his first peek into the world of showbusiness
at around the age of ten, when the family moved to Tampa, Florida, where he entered and won a local radio contest on radio
station W.H.B.O., and became their "Junior Disc Jockey". It was around this same time that he would meet western
star Lash LaRue who would give him his first bullwhip, lessons, and words of encouragement to learn the art of whip-cracking
of which Brown would become an expert.
It was also Lash LaRue who gave Joe the title of "The
Master of the Bullwhip", which stuck with him though out his career.
Brown began doing shows at the local schools and guest appearances on local television with his newly found skills
with the bullwhip.
It
was around the age of twelve, that Joe, saw his first magic show and fell in love with the art of magic. He put most of the money
that he made with his whip act into magic. By the age of fourteen, Brown was performing magic shows, as
well as his whip-act, and had became quite a good magician.
Lash
LaRue, who had came back to Tampa, for some appearances before his next film was so empressed with his young
proteges speed and a accuracy with the whip that he hired Joe to go back to Hollywood, with him to double the actor who was
to play El Azote, in his upcoming signature film "King of the Bullwhip". It was now 1951.
