Joseph Gustaf "Sharkey" Bonano, born August 9, 1902, was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, vocalist, and entertainer from New Orleans. Beginning his career in the 1920s with local bands led by Freddie Newman and Chink Martin, he later moved to New York, where he performed with the Wolverines, Jimmy Durante, and the Jean Goldkette Orchestra alongside Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer. He led his own band at the end of the decade, featuring Louis Prima, and in the 1930s formed the Sharks of Rhythm while also performing with the Original Dixieland Jass Band. After World War II, he toured internationally before becoming a regular performer on Bourbon Street, remaining a fixture of New Orleans' jazz scene. His discography includes albums like Sharkey's Southern Comfort (1950), Midnight on Bourbon Street (1952), and Dixieland at the Roundtable (1960). Bonano died on March 27, 1972.
