He toured the United States, Canada, and Europe before becoming a fixture in Bangkok, Thailand, where he was murdered.

[3] His mother taught him piano starting at a young age,[4] but did not interfere with his interest in rhythm playing as long as he finished his lessons.

[3] He returned to New York to form his own band,[3] which included Alton Moore, Arville Harris, and Bobby Holmes among its members.

[10] Rocco spent most of the 1940s headlining at nightclubs and theaters (where his engagements would extend into months) and participating in vaudeville revues.

[4] Alongside Mary Lou Williams, he represented the United States in the second African Dance Festival at Carnegie Hall in April 1945.

Iantha filed for divorce before their first anniversary amid allegations of physical and mental abuse.

[19] Alongside Slim Gaillard, he was in 1953 solicited to play a lead role in a film to be entitled "Two Joes from Georgia".

[20] Rocco fell into legal difficulties in the 1950s regarding bad checks: he was jailed over Christmas 1957 in Cleveland,[21] and was accused of the same offense in July 1958.

[22] He moved to Europe before spending the last 12–15 years of his life performing in Thailand,[23] where he had a residency at the Bamboo Bar in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.

While playing, Rocco would alternately beat out the rhythm with his feet, or perform dance moves.

[23] His showmanship was as recognized as his piano playing,[29][30] and he was known to favor wearing a pea-green dinner jacket.

He cut 10 new sides for Musicraft in September, 1946, 7 of which were re-issued by Allegro on a vinyl 10 inch LP in 1957.

Besides the usual guest spots, he was featured regularly on Duffy's Tavern and The Radio Hall of Fame.