Rocco Blues Available to Purchase

Maurice Rocco was born in Oxford, Ohio, in 1915. He learned piano from his mother, starting at a young age, and excelled as a teenaged performer before relocating to New York in the mid-1930s, with support from Noble Sissle as well as Duke Ellington. He rose rapidly in New York’s Black and queer nightlife scenes, also appearing in many films. By the 1940s he was a national star. His queerness presented substantial complications in his life and career. This chapter describes his early life and career rise in detail, including the many complications, setbacks, and personal problems he experienced during his ascent to stardom.