Jumbo were formed in Milan around singer-songwriter Alvaro Fella, previously bassist with Juniors. Fella was noticed and signed by Numero Uno, with which he issued two singles in 1970 under the name Jumbo. His backing band featured Franz Di Cioccio and Flavio Premoli from Quelli (later Premiata Forneria Marconi) and Mario Lavezzi (later with Il Volo). The Jumbo debut LP mixed singer-songwriter material with blues and progressive rock elements. Only a few months later, the second album DNA saw the band style gel, with a distinctive sound, further developed on the more experimental third album Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni? That also featured the help of Franco Battiato and Aktuala musicians.
The band kept playing for some years, in 1975 they released a last single, before splitting-up. A number of reformations, 1983+ resulted in more releases.