 Bivona's first instrument was violin, but he switched to a combination of alto saxophone and clarinet at the age of 16.His professional debut was in a band led by Spider Johnson, followed by dates all around New England in Leo Scalzi's Brunswick Orchestra.In 1935, Bivona began a lengthy stint with the Jimmy Monaco Orchestra, based out of New York City, and also worked with the Hudson-DeLange Orchestra, and spent several months with Bunny Berigan in 1938.