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Big Jay McNeely, born on April 29, 1927, in Watts, California, was an influential tenor saxophonist known for his raucous, honking style of playing and acrobatic stage antics. While still in high school in the mid-1940s, he formed a band that included an alto saxophonist and a pianist. In 1948, he began recording and achieved a #1 R&B hit with "Deacon's Hop" in 1949. McNeely was known for his dynamic performances, often leaving the stage to play from the audience or on top of the bar. He performed with vocal groups in the 1950s but retired from the music business in the early 1960s. He made a comeback in 1983 and continued to perform until his passing on September 16, 2018, at the Riverside University Health System Center. He was the brother of another musician.

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