 His father, Joseph Alfred de Grazia, was born in Licodia, province of Catania, in Sicily and was politically active in a troubled period in the history of the island.He emigrated to the United States at the age of twenty, after having hit the mayor of Licodia with his clarinet during a political scuffle.He became a bandmaster, music teacher, in and out of the WPA  and a musical union leader in Chicago.