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The older of the two Dorsey brothers was a child prodigy who began his musical career at the age seven playing the slide trumpet and cornet with his father's brass band at local parties. His father was a working class man who wanted a better life for his children and made them study music, diligently. By the time he was 17, Jimmy was playing with the band with and .

During the 1920's the had broken up, and Jimmy, along with and joined group. Jimmy left group and freelanced around playing with . In 1933 Jimmy and younger brother formed their famous which included drummer Ray McKinley, trombonist Glenn Miller and singer Bob Crosby.

By 1935, continued feuding between the two brothers led to a break-up of the band. In 1938 Jimmy participated in some of the infamous Friday afternoon jam sessions at the Park Lane Hotel organized by which included , , Bobby Hackett, , , Hot Lips Page, Bunny Berigan and .

Jimmy began a new band which was a commercial success featuring popular singers Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly. In 1953, a few years after the release of the motion picture "The Fabulous Dorseys", Jimmy and reunited and continued playing together until death in 1956. Jimmy continued leading the band until ill-health forced him to retire from music permanently. He died in mid-1957