John Licata was born on September 29th, 1948 in Conneaut, Ohio, a working class railroad hub off the shores of Lake Erie. In fourth grade, his mother brought home a trombone from the local second hand store and insisted John learn to play. At first he resisted, but soon he was playing in the marching and concert bands of his middle school and high school. By junior year, he formed his own musical groups, playing at school functions and weddings.
He developed an early interest in Dixieland Jazz, which led him to spend 3 years at the Berkelee School of music in Boston, receiving a small scholarship from a fraternal organization in Conneaut. John’s interest in jazz evolved at Berkelee, where he was exposed to renowned faculty and jazz greats like Hancock, Coltrane and George Benson.
Like any devoted jazz musician he plied his craft touring with various big bands, playing on cruise ships, and playing local gigs with decades-long collaborators.