Rick Porrello

About Rick Porrello

Rick Porrello wears many hats. He is a veteran Cleveland-area police lieutenant with Mafia roots and author of The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia. Porrello began writing his first book during research into the murders of his grandfather and three uncles, who were mob leaders killed in Prohibition-era violence. The book, published in 1995 by Barricade Books of New York City, quickly became a regional favorite.

An accomplished jazz musician and soloist, Rick began his greatest musical achievement in 1981, at age eighteen when he took over the drum throne from his brother Ray Jr., then stickman for Sammy Davis Jr. for six years.

That fortunate break started Rick on a two-and-a-half year stint involving extensive traveling including Europe, South America, Australia and of course the regular venues of Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe and Atlantic City. Accompanying Mr. Davis, Rick also had the honor of working with the great Count Basie Orchestra and, has appeared on several television shows including Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show", understandably Rick's most memorable career highlight.

Despite the excitement and promise of such early success, a second career interest eventually pulled Rick from the Davis gig and he returned to Cleveland to begin college studies. In 1986, despite opposition from family and friends, Rick traded his sticks for a badge and .38 special when he joined the police force. Since childhood, Rick had an increasing interest in police work and despite a skyrocketing music career, he decided that protecting the public was more important to him then entertaining them.

Rick Porrello continues to perform in the N.E. Ohio area. He has a degree in criminal justice and is a member of the American Federation of Musicians.

In 1998 Rick’s second book was published. Titled >To Kill The Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia, it is the definitive story of Danny Greene, a fiercely proud Irish- American racketeer who took on La Cosa Nostra, sparking events that led to the fall of several Mafia families. Porrello won a national Non-Fiction award for the book which has since been optioned for a movie