Jackie Jocko

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Jackie Jocko (born Jackie Giaccio; January 21, 1929 – August 8, 2019) was a Buffalo, New York musician, singer, and songwriter. He released albums in the 1950s and early 1960s, including Lover, Come Back to Me (1952), Jackie Jocko – Mr. Excitement – From Coast to Coast (1961), and Like Wow! (1962). After an active national career, he returned to Buffalo in 1972 and spent 20 years playing at E.B. Green's Steakhouse. He was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame in 1997.

Jocko grew up in Buffalo’s North Fillmore neighborhood, teaching himself piano as a toddler, taking classical lessons at nine, and playing taverns by age 12. As a teen he performed with a large local orchestra at venues such as Kleinhans Music Hall and the Statler Hotel. He met drummer Joe Peters in 1948; they played together for nearly 70 years. Their first show was at Carl's Lounge near Genesee Street. At 18, Jocko and Peters left Buffalo, landing a contract with WERE in Cleveland and later a major deal with Mercury Records for Lover, Come Back to Me. They also headlined Birdland in New York in 1952.

The duo released material with Strand Records in 1961–62 and then built a touring show, with stints at the Sahara in Las Vegas, Harrah's in Reno, and Hawaii. Back in Buffalo, Jocko performed at several clubs, invested in Jocko's Supper Club and later Fanny's in Amherst, until his long-running engagement at E.B. Green's from the 1990s to 2016. Jackie Jocko passed away on August 8, 2019. His personal papers are held by SUNY Buffalo State College for research.