LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring music legend Jimmy Cavallo for a life-
time of achievement

WHEREAS, It is the sense of the State of New York to recognize those
outstanding individuals within our midst who have impacted the arts and
cultural enrichment of our communities through their creative talents;
one such individual is music legend Jimmy Cavallo; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord its long-stand-
ing traditions, this Legislative Body is proud to honor Jimmy Cavallo
for a lifetime of achievement upon the occasion of his final Festa
Italiana Syracuse performances, which will take place on September
18-19, 2015; and
WHEREAS, Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1927, Jimmy Cavallo started
performing alto sax with a swing band as a young teenager, but he soon
switched to tenor sax and formed his own band at 16 years old; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Cavallo entered the United States Navy at the end of
World War II and brought his saxophone with him; and
WHEREAS, Upon his discharge from the military, Jimmy Cavallo hit the
Carolina beaches with a band called the Jimmy Cavallo Quartet; it was
one of the world's first white R&B bands, which started publically
performing Wynonie Harris, Louis Jordan, and Hucklebuck Williams tunes,
as well as many originals; and
WHEREAS, During the summer of 1949, Jimmy Cavallo moved back to Syra-
cuse, reorganized the Jimmy Cavallo Quartet, and started packing several
popular Central New York clubs, such as Sorrentos and DiCastros; Jimmy's
band was a phenomenon, drawing large crowds from Utica to Rochester and
Binghamton that wanted to hear the uptempo R&B music; and
WHEREAS, In 1955, Jimmy Cavallo joined a new R&B band, which would
become Jimmy Cavallo and the Houserockers; the band subsequently
recorded for Alan Freed at Coral/Decca Records and was propelled into
the national spotlight; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Cavallo and the Houserockers appeared in Freed's 1956
classic rock and roll film "Rock, Rock, Rock" and performed the title
song "Rock, Rock, Rock" and "The Big Beat"; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Cavallo's successful career has since spanned eight
decades; from the Carolinas where he was instrumental in creating "The
Shag" to as far as England and Italy, where he has played to thousands
of fans since 2002; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Cavallo has also forever changed the face of music in
his hometown of Central New York with the blues; though he moved to
Florida, he has frequently returned to perform at various popular venues
that include, but are not limited to Sylvan Beach, Festa Italiana Syra-
cuse, and the New York State Blues Fest; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Cavallo has continued to record music into his eight-
ies, and still draws acclaimed attention; his recordings from independ-
ent label Petcap Records and Guy Capone have also been sold and listened
to all over the world; these CDs include Jimmy Cavallo Live at the
Persian Terrace, Live at Freddy's, and Jimmy Cavallo and the Houserock-
ers, Then and Now, which was released in 2006; and
WHEREAS, Jimmy Cavallo also performed every Friday and Saturday night
at Timpano Chophouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 2006 to 2013; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of his career, Jimmy Cavallo has received
numerous accolades, including being nominated for a W.C. Handy Award as
comeback artist of the year for 2003; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause to hereby recognize and
honor Jimmy Cavallo for a lifetime of achievement upon his final

performances for Festa Italiana Syracuse, which will take place on
September 18-19, 2015; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Jimmy Cavallo.