Highlights:
- Andre McClain is an accomplished animal trainer, a real-life cowboy, rodeo star, and country singer and songwriter.
- Andre’s father, Lu, founded the Bill Pickett Rodeo in 1984, which was America’s first all-black touring rodeo. Andre began riding bucking ponies and steers at five and made his competitive debut at seven years old.
- Andre attended the University of Missouri, Kansas City initially as a vocal music major but received his degree in Business Management.
Andre McClain-America’s Favorite Cowboy
All Acess Pre-show Host /Liberty Act
Andre McClain is not only an accomplished animal trainer, but a real-life cowboy, rodeo star, country singer and songwriter, and above all, an admired dad. This rancher has been around horses and rodeos since he was a baby, and is a descendant from a long, distinguished African-American cowboy heritage that dates back to the early 1900’s.
Raised on a ranch in Kansas City, Missouri, Andre began riding bucking ponies and steers at the age of five. A rodeo competitor himself, Andre’s father, Lu, founded the Bill Pickett Rodeo in 1984, which was America’s first all-black touring rodeo, which is where Andre made his competitive debut at just seven-years-old.
Andre took pride in his cowboy heritage; he even rode his horse to high school every day! Andre “parked” his steed on the soccer field, and tended to him between classes. Andre’s college days were spent more conservatively at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and although initially a vocal music major, Andre received a degree in Business Management in 2000.
After school, Andre joined the International Professional Rodeo Association, and continued to compete in rodeo circuits. He taught himself a variety of “Wild West Arts” and took his one man show on tour with his father’s rodeo. In 2002, Andre visited the 132nd Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® to conduct research on stilts for a new routine he was considering for his show. During a behind-the scenes chat with some of the clowns who used stilts in their acts, his animal training background caught the attention of show personnel. In a twist of fate, he was offered a job working with the show’s exotic animal staff.
At the end of the tour, Andre auditioned his one man act for Ringling Bros®. producer Kenneth Feld and landed a job as the host of the 133rd Edition’s Three Ring Adventure now known as the All Access Pre-show. As host, Andre sang, performed rope tricks, and showed off his horse Jonah. Andre and Jonah returned once again to host the 135th Edition, but instead of demonstrating his cowboy skills, he focused more on demonstrating Jonah’s training and the bond that he had with his beloved animal, as well as presenting six camels during the show’s animal menage act.
A true homecoming for America’s favorite cowboy, Andre returns to The Greatest Show On Earth® to join the cast of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Barnum’s FUNundrum!SM. Once again, Andre shows off his devotion and close bond he shares with the animals in this colossal edition, as he presents an impressive liberty act with llamas, ponies, and even a watusi to amaze Children Of All Ages. Listening to the calming sound of Andre’s voice, the horses run around the ring with no reigns or riders in different patterns and even stand on their hind legs.
“All of the animals have different attitudes and moods but have been living together for the last couple of months, so they have really become a family. It’s sort of like the circus, all of these people from all over the world have come together to live, like one big family,” explains Andre.
Dreams do come true, and Andre is a prime example of that. A self-made man, he grew up in a performing family but took his performance to a whole new level with self taught skills, and now has what circus performers call sawdust in their blood. “I love the rodeo, but in the circus you get to interact with the audience. I’m out there with the people, I can tell how they’re feeling and that gives me more energy than anything. That’s my drive,” he explains.