Jerry Layne

Like many small boys Jerry Layne grew up watching Paul Winchell on television. This inspired him to become a ventriloquist as years before Edgar Bergen had inspired his mentor. And I mean mentor in the truest sense of the word. After winning Paul Winchell's "Best Kid Ventriloquist" contest, it turned into a teacher-protégé relationship, and a friendship, which has last all through the years. In college in New York Jerry worked on campus radio. On his spring breaks Jerry worked in the hotels and clubs in the Miami, Florida area. It was back at school that he entered the original "Ted Mack Amateur Hour" and won first prize. After college Jerry fulfilled his military obligations, where the Public Relations office of the armed forces utilized Jerry and his basswood partner "Lester" talents. He then began a 14 year stint working for Goodson-Todman TV productions in Canada on "Beat the Clock." Jerry also created and hosted a children's television game show, "Puppet People," while there. He returned to the US in 1974, to perform in Atlantic City, Reno, theme parks, special events, TV shows, motion pictures, cruse ships, corporate events. As well as performing Jerry designs and builds many of his own figures. He has become the leading supplier of ventriloquist figures to magic shops, as well in the motion picture & television industries.