Greg Piccolo

Former Roomful of Blues vocalist and saxman Greg Piccolo was born May 10, 1951 in Westerly, Rhode Island. At the age of 13 he was playing sax with a six-piece rock band, the Rejects. Two years later he joined Duke Robillard as a vocalist for the Variations, a British Invasion cover band. Piccolo rejoined Robillard in 1970 to create the first incarnation of Roomful of Blues, inspired by Buddy Johnson's R&B band. The group was further modified in 1971 and Piccolo began playing sax. The band worked up and down the Northeast, gradually building up a national following. Robillard left the group in 1979 and was replaced by blues guitarist Ronnie Earl. By this time, Piccolo was the de facto leader. Dressed Up to Get Messed Up features a number of his compositions. The group stayed together until the early '90s, when Piccolo went out on his own. Piccolo released two solo albums in an acid jazz vein, Heavy Juice on Black Top Records (1990) and Acid Blue (1995) on Fantasy. In 2000 he released Homage, a solo album that paid tribute to classic tenor players. During the new millennium he has remained active as a sideman, including playing with Jimmie Vaughan's Tilt-A-Whirl Band at live gigs across the United States.