Jimmy Cavallo

James Cavallo (March 14, 1927 – December 2, 2019) was an American musician best known for performing with his band in the 1956 movie, Rock, Rock, Rock, by pioneering music DJ Alan Freed. Jimmy and the Houserockers were the first white band to play at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, where they celebrated the movie's release.

Starting out in Syracuse, NY While attending high school in Syracuse, New York, in the early 1940s, Cavallo played alto saxophone in a swing band. He was influenced by Louis Jordan and other jump blues musicians and subsequently switched to tenor saxophone. At about age 16, he formed his first band, which performed primarily at local weddings.

The Navy and North Carolina At the end of World War II, Cavallo served in the United States Navy, taking his saxophone with him. He was stationed in North Carolina and Washington, D.C., where he spent his free time attending clubs and listening to blues musicians. He also performed with musicians associated with the emerging rhythm and blues scene.

After his discharge from the United States Navy in 1947, Cavallo formed the Jimmy Cavallo Quartet and performed rhythm and blues at venues along the Carolina beaches. The quartet's repertoire included songs by Wynonie Harris, Louis Jordan, and Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams, as well as original material. The group performed throughout North Carolina in 1947 and 1948 and held a residency at Bop City in Carolina Beach in 1949.

In late 1949, Cavallo returned to Syracuse, where he formed a new group and performed at local clubs, including venues in Sylvan Beach on Oneida Lake. His repertoire included rhythm and blues, which he had previously performed in the Carolinas. In 1951, Cavallo recorded two singles for the Syracuse-area BSD label.

The 1951 Jimmy Cavallo version of Rock The Joint, originally done by Jimmy Preston in 1949.

Alan Freed and Rock, Rock, Rock In August 1956, Cavallo and the House Rockers performed at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre with Fats Domino and Big Joe Turner. The group subsequently appeared in Alan Freed's film Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956), performing the title song and "The Big Beat". The film was released on 5 December 1956, and the House Rockers performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, as part of its promotion. The group returned to the Apollo for an extended engagement in December 1956. Sources describe the House Rockers as the first white rock and roll act to perform at the venue, preceding Buddy Holly and the Crickets' appearance there in 1957.

In 1957, the House Rockers held a summer engagement at the Beachcomber in Wildwood, New Jersey, on a bill headlined by the Treniers. Cavallo and the House Rockers later appeared in Freed's film Go, Johnny, Go! (1959). The group recorded for Coral Records and subsequently released recordings on the Sunnyside, Hand, Darcy, and Romar labels between 1959 and 1965.

Continuing to perform and record Jimmy continued to perform in Syracuse during summer visits from Florida. He also had long-term engagements at P.G. Doogie's in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and Saba Asian Restaurant & Lounge in Boca Raton, Florida.

After years of playing R&B in America, Cavallo finally played his first gig in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2002, at the Rhythm Riot festival in Rye, England. Joe Marillo lives in San Diego and still plays actively. The dual-sax sound of Cavallo and Utley, heard on the beaches of North Carolina in 1947 and in the 1950s with Cavallo and Marillo, was echoed in Cavallo's work for the rest of his career.

From 2006 to 2013, Cavallo performed regularly at Timpano Chophouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In March 2019, he was still performing regularly at Blue Jeans Blues in Fort Lauderdale. He continued to play past age 90. Cavallo died of heart failure on 2 December 2019 in Pompano Beach, Florida, at the age of 92.

Filmography Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956) Go, Johnny, Go! (1959)

Discography Jimmy Cavallo Live at The Persian Terrace Live at Freddy's Jimmy Cavallo and the Houserockers, Then and Now The Houserocker! (2002)