Izzy Cervone

Izzy Cervone1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Compared to Merle Evans, there is not too much information available on circus bandleader Izzy Cervone, who led the Ringling band in 1956. During World War I, he played first trumpet in John Philip Sousa’s Great Lakes Naval Training Station Band. He was also a staff musician at radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh and played with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Fritz Reiner. He had his own band (Cervone’s Redcoats), which played at Pittsburgh’s Kennywood Amusement Park. As bandleader for Orrin Davenport, he did all the major indoor circus dates and worked with all the big stars like Clyde Beatty, the Hannefords, Victor Julian, the Wallendas, the Woodcock Elephants, etc. It was his misfortune to take over the Ringling band immediately after Merle Evans and right when it was decided to replace the traditional circus band with a Broadway-type theater pit orchestra that included violins. The fact that the show folded in mid-season didn’t do much to enhance his resume either. (Ironically, on the day of Ringling’s last under-canvas performance, Izzy was off doing a fair date and it was his nephew Jack Cervone who was at the helm.) Bill Pruyn (another classically-trained musician) always had good things to say about Izzy’s musical ability, which is about the best compliment that any circus musician could hope for.