[1] As a leader, he worked with drummers Buddy Rich, Shelly Manne, and Dave Tough; guitarist Eddie Condon, pianist Joe Bushkin, trumpeter Max Kaminsky, his brother Marty Marsala, and his wife, jazz harpist Adele Girard.

[2] By 1949, he was writing traditional pop songs, including "Don't Cry, Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go, Let Her Go)",[1] which was recorded by Frank Sinatra.

The song led friends to the unfounded fear his marriage was over when in fact it was written for GIs who had returned home from World War II to find that their girlfriends had married someone else.

Marsala became Gordon's mentor and produced his records for Decca, including "Warm and Sentimental" and "Young Man's Fancy".

Although his younger brother Marty was drafted, Marsala was an unacceptable candidate because of cartilage and ligament tears in his knee.