01/18/16 Jim Caruso - Broadway Singer, Dancer, Writer & Radio Host

Jim Caruso made his Broadway debut alongside Liza Minnelli in the smash hit Liza’s At The Palace!, singing, dancing and celebrating the music and arrangements of the late, great Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers. The show was honored with a 2009 Tony Award for Best Special Event and the recording was nominated for a Grammy.
For his nightclub work, Caruso has won six MAC Awards and two BackStage Bistro Awards for sold-out shows at Birdland, The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, and The Russian Tea Room. He has also performed at clubs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Palm Beach and London.
His recent studio recording, “The Swing Set,” was called “a top drawer, first-rate swinger” by Jazz Times and “a completely entertaining experience” by All About Jazz. His first CD, "Caruso Live and In Person," went to number one on both the album and singles charts at Outvoice.com. Jim was featured in a Tribute to Kander & Ebb at Carnegie Hall, backed by the New York Pops, and performed in a Tribute to Hope & Crosby in an evening hosted by Michael Feinstein at Zankel Hall. He and singer/pianist Billy Stritch are regular performers at Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle Hotel in NYC.
With his award-winning jazz vocal and comedy trio, Wiseguys, he performed in an all-star Inaugural extravaganza for President Clinton, and were then invited to sing at his First State Dinner at the White House in an evening hosted by Lauren Bacall. The trio performed in concert at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and in "the big room" with Rosemary Clooney.
On the small screen, Jim was seen co-starring with Kathie Lee Gifford on Showtime Television in “Personal Assistant,” which was written and directed by Charles Busch. He also co-starred on the Nostalgia Network variety sit-com, “Café DuArt” for two seasons.
As a writer, Jim has contributed to InStyle Magazine, Theatermania and InTheater Magazine He has produced and booked television talk and entertainment programs like "Jim J. & Tammy Faye" and "Fox After Breakfast," and was a Field Producer for E! Entertainment Television, working the red carpets, conducting interviews for "Celebrity Profiles" and covering the Tony Awards.
Caruso hosted "Broadway On Broadway" in Times Square for a crowd of 100,000 theater fans, hosted MAC Awards at Town Hall in Manhattan and co-hosted the Drama Desk Award webcasts for four years. His radio series was heard on BroadwayWorld.com for four years, and his podcast “Here! On Broadway” was honored with a Summit Award. He can currently be heard on Legends 100.3 FM Radio with his weekly “New York Minute” segment.

For the past fifteen years, he has hosted a weekly Monday night showbiz bash at Birdland called "Jim Caruso’s Cast Party,” which has brought him two BroadwayWorld Awards, a New York Nightlife Award, MAC Award and the Sidney Meyer Award. He’s taken celebrity versions of the Party to Lincoln Center and Town Hall in New York, and celebrated local talent at venues in London, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Dallas, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and on the high seas. The weekly “Broadway at Birdland” series he produces has also been honored with a Nightlife Award.