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John Carollo was born in Turin, Italy on November 4, 1954. An Italian family adopted him in 1959 and raised him in Oil City, Pennsylvania. During grade school he studied and played piano and was a member of a Catholic Church choir who sang for the congregation during weekend services. He moved from Oil City to San Diego, California in 1976 where he attended college taking courses in music and psychology. He graduated in 1986 from San Diego State University with a Masters Degree in Psychology and began composing for piano. After moving to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1987, he started a career as a mental health counselor with the State of Hawaii Department of Health.

In 1997, he began private composition lessons with Dr. Robert Wehrman. Carollo's first work under Robert's tutelage was The Crumb Suite for Solo Piano. Following this effort, he composed an atonal work in 1998 entitled Frenetic Unfoldings for Solo Violin. After its completion, Carollo focused his energies on mostly solo and chamber works. He retired in March of 2006 to compose full-time and establish a music business named Musica Baudino. Musica Baudino published his first album, Ampersand, in June 2006, which went on to win Best Classical album at the 10th Annual Hawaii Music Awards ceremony. Carollo is a prolific artist, composing daily and maintaining a working relationship with faculty members of the University of Hawaii's Music Department and artists throughout the world. His works have been performed in various venues and festivals in Hawaii and abroad. He is an ASCAP member and a lifetime member of the Society of Composers in America.