[1][2] Reece was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, and raised in the Bronx in New York City.

[3][4] His parents were Amos, a construction worker, and Ella Mae, who worked in the public school system.

[4] He spent his childhood in both cities, describing his life in St. Petersburg as "pre-civil rights ... all Black people ... very segregated."

[4][3][7] He went to Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Bronx, played basketball and ran track.

[5][9] Jerry King, a Bronx local, encouraged kids like Reece to unicycle instead of criminal activity.

He had enjoyed military life in the US, but in Vietnam he saw American soldiers hurting Vietnamese children, and went absent without leave (AWOL).

"Endlessly entertaining", Reece practiced magic tricks with her, they played games and he gave her a parakeet that she loved.

[12] When she drew a picture of "Skeeter" in school, a teacher told her "Now, Rain, you know there's no such thing as a black clown.

[7][8] He performed with the Ringling in venues like Madison Square Garden, the Spectrum,[5][8] the Blue Cross Arena[9] and the Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno.

[16] In 1996, he warmed up the crowd at a show with comedians Bobby Slayton and Nick Griffin in Las Vegas.