- Hit #112 on the Billboard Singles Charts in 1963 with "Little Bird" (Ava 116)
- Billed as the "Boy Wonder Accordionist" on the CBS Hobby Lobby show, his name was misprounounced as Pete Jolly, rather than his birth name of Peter Ceragioli. He liked the name so much he took it as his professional name.
- Started playing the accordion when he was three. At age seven he was on a radio show, "Hobby Lobby".
- Played his first job when he was 12.
- One of his last albums was a collaboration-aptly entitled Collaboration-with Jan Lundgren, Chuck Berghofer, and Joe LaBarbera in 2000.
- His final public performance with his trio was in Reno, NV, and he said it was the best he had ever played.
- Was a two-time Grammy-nominated American West Coast jazz pianist and accordionist.
- Active for nearly 50 years, the Pete Jolly Trio had only one bassist, [ Chuck Berghofer], and one drummer, Nick Martinis. Berghofer later said, "In all that time, Pete never once told me how to play or what to play".
- Known for his performance of television themes and movie soundtracks.
- In 1946 his family moved to Phoenix, AZ, and the following year he joined the Musicians Union and started working extensively in clubs.
- His final album, It's a Cool Heat, was recorded in Phoenix in May 2004 shortly before his death.
- He worked with Buddy DeFranco, Art Pepper, and Red Norvo, and for many years with music arranger and director Ray Conniff and Herb Alpert, recording on Alpert's record label, A&M as both sideman and leader.
- By day he worked in the studios; by night, with his trio.
- His composition "Little Bird" (a minor hit on Fred Astaire's Ava Records) was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1963.
- He recreated all of Bud Powell's playing with Charlie Parker for Clint Eastwood's biographical movie about Parker, Bird.
- Continued to perform with his trio in Los Angeles jazz clubs until shortly before being hospitalized in August 2004.
- Moved easily into studio and session work. Besides his performances as a pianist, he also played the accordion.
- Formed the Pete Jolly Trio in 1964. With the Trio and as a solo artist, he recorded several albums, including earning a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance - Small Group or Soloist with Small Group.
- His music can be heard on television programs such as Get Smart, The Love Boat, I Spy, Mannix, M*A*S*H and Dallas, as well as hundreds of movie soundtracks.
- One of his best friends and collaborators in Phoenix was guitarist Howard Roberts, whom he met at the age of 13. Following Roberts to Los Angeles in 1952, he immediately began working with the best players on the West Coast jazz scene, including Shorty Rogers.
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