Tex McQuire - Card sharp and MUSICIAN?

[Diego]

Knowing next to nothing about Tex McGuire, who was known as a gambler/card sharp,
I have been asked about a Tex McGuire, who was a musician/singer who performed cowboy songs/western swing music, including the "Border Radio" stations in the 1930's/1940's.

Could they be the same person? I thought the gambling book was published much earlier.

Anybody?

[Bill Mullins]

I kind of doubt it. Mike Caveney's 1st Classic Correspondence book has a letter from the gambler, Eddie "Tex" McGuire. At that time (1960) he was living in Providence RI. Other descriptions of him say he was from Rhode Island originally.

From here

http://fultonhistory.com/Newpapers%20Disk2/Utica%20NY%20Daily%20Observer/Utica%20NY%20Observer%201977%20a%20pdf/Utica%20NY%20Observer%201977%20a%20-%202469.pdf

we know that the musician was a long time resident of West Virginia, and was only born ca. 1910.

[Meir Yedid]

Different guy but he was around back then and did work the cowboy circuit. Also had an illusion show that toured Europe. If Bill is up to it he can find a lengthy AP article about him from 1942 by Edward S. Cannon. The article was later used by McGuire in booklet form to promote himself. The scarce booklet is called, "Suppose You Lost Your $100,000 Over Night?"

[Richard Hatch]

Different guy but he was around back then and did work the cowboy circuit. Also had an illusion show that toured Europe. If Bill is up to it he can find a lengthy AP article about him from 1942 by Edward S. Cannon. The article was later used by McGuire in booklet form to promote himself. The scarce booklet is called, "Suppose You Lost Your $100,000 Over Night?"

My understanding is that our Tex McGuire was pretty much delusional about many things, including his claim to have toured Europe with an illusion show. H. Adrian Smith of Rhode Island knew him well for many years and told me this. Though he dressed up as a cowboy and billed himself as "The Gambler from the Golden West," Vernon in his GENII column speculated that he had likely never been west of Marshalltown, Iowa. There is a "Great Gilland" (the name he claimed to have toured under in Europe) poster reproduced in the Lee Jacobs reprint of the McGuire booklet that has ungrammatical French on it ("A presente jouer aux Theatre Casino a Monte Carlo"), suggesting it is likely not authentic. In that booklet, McGuire claimed in a letter to Jacobs that the President of France pinned a medal on him on the stage of the Champs Elysis [sic] Opera House and that he broke the bank at Monte Carlo three consecutive times prior to World War I. I believe McGuire was institutionalized for his delusions at one point. One of the great characters of magic!