Biography

Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 20, 1926. He learned to play the guitar at age nine from his father, who loved music, but changed to playing the trombone at age fourteen. He performed with the big bands of Bob Chester, Glen Gray, Tony Pastor, Herbie Fields, Gene Krupa, and Stan Kenton. After working with Kenton, he moved to Los Angeles, where he played with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars (1954–1960) in Hermosa Beach. His composition "Blue Daniel" was first recorded by Shelly Manne & His Men in 1959 and later became a jazz standard, with well-known versions by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet and Ben Sidran, who added lyrics to the song in 1979.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, when he wasn't performing at nightclubs, Rosolino worked in Los Angeles recording studios. He played with famous musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Michel Legrand, and Quincy Jones. In the mid-to-late 1960s, he and another trombonist, Mike Barone, performed together as "Trombones Unlimited." They recorded several albums for Liberty Records, including the 1968 album Grazing in the Grass, which featured pop-style arrangements of popular songs. He also appeared in films such as I Want to Live! (1958), starring Susan Hayward, and Sweet Smell of Success (1957), with Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. Rosolino was a regular on The Steve Allen Show and appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show and The Merv Griffin Show. He was also a skilled singer, known for his energetic style of scat singing, especially on Gene Krupa's hit recording "Lemon Drop."

During the 1970s, Rosolino performed and toured with Quincy Jones and the Grammy Award-winning group Supersax.

Rosolino's personal life was difficult. On November 26, 1978, he shot both of his sons—11-year-old Justin and 7-year-old Jason—as they slept. Justin died immediately; Jason survived but lost his eyesight. Rosolino then shot himself and died.