Jimmy Cavallo was born in Syracuse, New York in 1927 and during high school played alto sax in a swing band, and then formed his own band, playing tenor sax and singing. During his time in the Navy during World War II, he often hung around clubs with his saxophone, and jammed with a lot of the performers. Jimmy returned home to Syracuse and also played on the Carolina beaches with his band the Jimmy Cavallo Quartet during 1948 and 1949, and played at clubs in Syracuse like DiCastros and Sorrentos and "The Big Beat." The white group also appeared with all-black artists at the Apollo Theatre in New York to promote the movie's release, making them the first white rock 'n' roll act to play the Apollo, even before Buddy Holly. In 1957, the group played in Wildwood, New Jersey and then played in Las Vegas and during 1959-63 recorded for lables such as Darcy, Sunnyside, and Romar, songs such as "Fanny Brown" and "Early In the Morning," and soon disbanded. Jimmy now lives in Florida but comes back to Syracuse every year to play a gig or two, and has finally played his first gig in England. In 2001 and 2002 he put out two CDs, a live album and "The Houserocker!" on which he is backed by Ron Spencer and Jumpstart.
