Cecil James McNeely, known professionally as Big Jay McNeely, was born on April 29, 1927, in Los Angeles, California. He began his career as a saxophonist, inspired by Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young. McNeely's first recordings were made with drummer Johnny Otis at the Barrelhouse Club. In early 1949, he scored his first hit with "The Deacon's Hop", which topped the Billboard R&B chart. This success led to a recording contract with Savoy Records under the stage name Big Jay McNeely. McNeely performed at notable events such as the fifth Cavalcade of Jazz concert in 1949 and the Eleventh Cavalcade of Jazz in 1955. His flamboyant playing style, known as "honking," kept him popular through the 1950s and early 1960s. He recorded for various labels including Exclusive, Aladdin, Imperial, Federal, Vee-Jay, and Swingin'. Despite a hit R&B ballad "There's Something on Your Mind" in 1959, McNeely's career began to decline by the mid-1960s. He left the music industry in 1971 to work as a postman but returned to touring and recording full-time in the early 1980s due to an R&B revival. His original tenor sax is enshrined in the Experience Music Project in Seattle, and he was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. McNeely died on September 16, 2018, in Moreno Valley, California, at the age of 91.
