Joseph Francis Marsala was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist, alto and tenor saxophonist, and songwriter. In the 1920s, he played guitar in local clubs with Ben Pollack and Wingy Manone, and after moving to New York City, he recorded and performed with Manone throughout the 1930s. As a leader, Marsala collaborated with musicians such as Buddy Rich, Shelly Manne, Dave Tough, Eddie Condon, Joe Bushkin, Max Kaminsky, his brother Marty Marsala, and his wife, jazz harpist Adele Girard. In 1948, he left professional performing and entered music publishing, and by 1949 he was writing traditional pop songs including “Don’t Cry, Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go),” which was recorded by Frank Sinatra. He also wrote “And So to Sleep Again” with Sunny Skylar, recorded by Patti Page, and later worked as a mentor and producer for clarinetist Bobby Gordon. Marsala died in Santa Barbara, California on March 4, 1978, at the age of 71.
