Jimbeau has always been involved in music. As a young child, he sang soprano in the choir of Grace Episcopal Church in Nutley NJ. He sang more for the $2.00 he received each month from the church than out of any religious fervor. (Hey, two bucks was big money back then!). He continued to sing in school choruses up through high school and played trumpet in elementary school.

In 1967 he started playing blues harmonica, influenced by high school friends who introduced him to the music of legends like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. A couple of years later, he took up guitar and mandolin.

 

Jimbeau's first gigs were in 1972, playing at the Muhlenberg College coffee house in Allentown PA. A year later, he played a live radio concert on WMUH-FM with the folk trio Burt Weedon. The DJ was Charlie Frick, who went on to become a well-known radio personality in Philadelphia.

In 1975, he enrolled in the jazz program at William Paterson College, where he studied with jazz greats like Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, and Bucky Pizzarelli. He graduated in 1978 with a BA in Music Studies.

During this time, he spent his summers down at the Jersey Shore in Cape May. He sat in with just about every band that came into town, playing at the Ugly Mug, Gloria's, Oceanview, and other clubs. There he honed his improvisational skills, playing with dozens of different bands in the vibrant summer music scene. Many nights he would perform with 3 or 4 bands, one after another, making the rounds of all the clubs on the Commons and by the boardwalk.

The early 1980s found him playing with RB5 & The All Stars (featuring the late great Jimmy Greer), Mean Disposition (with blues guitarist Joe Lami), and the Tom Kavanaugh Blues Band.

In 1981, he designed the "Jimbeau" harp box, which was built to his specifications by Rob Fedorcyzk. This box has been with him ever since at hundreds of appearances.

In 1983, Jimbeau moved to Ithaca NY to escape some legal "issues" in New Jersey. There he hooked up with local rock band Desperado and other musicians. He played on local radio and cable TV programs, and appeared at the JuneFest music festival. He also played just about every venue in this musically exciting college town, becoming the "go-to" guy for blues harmonica.

He returned to Jersey in 1986 to attend grad school, leading to an MBA from Baruch College. There he met his wife, Joan Huang. They were married in 1988.

Jimbeau returned to active gigging when he joined the Kim Brewer Blues Band in 1993. For the next two years, the band appeared at many blues festivals and top clubs like the Stanhope House and the Old Bay.

The band dissolved when Kim became pregnant. Jimbeau then formed Loaded Dice with guitar great Dennis Miele, a close friend who now plays with Shore legend Joe Bonnano. This band also featured Honeyboy Dupree on bass and vocals, Doug Oscard on drums, and Kat DePalma, a vocalist who had recently moved up from the Austin TX music scene. This was a talented but volatile mix of musicians, and after a couple of stormy years playing together, the band flew apart.

Jimbeau then joined up in 1998 with Lady Blue & The Tramps, the long-running blues-rock combo led by husband-and-wife team Joy and Steve Koltenuck. He played a busy schedule with Lady Blue all over the tri-state region at clubs, festivals, and private parties.

 

Since 2001, Jimbeau has concentrated his energies on his own band projects, first with Retroglide, featuring Sean Aumack, Gene Downin, and Brad Dolan, and then with Jimbeau & The Retrocasters, which began gigging in 2002. The Retrocasters have provided Jimbeau with a platform for his wide taste in music, covering everything from blues, R&B, and funk, to classic rock, pop, and country.

Jimbeau has also done recording work recently with Jan London for Stir Fried, and Mark Radice for The Muppets.

Jimbeau and his wife Joan live in Rutherford NJ.