Born 'Vicentio Licavoli' in St. Louis, Missouri, the third of four children of Dominic and Girolama Licavoli. They emigrated to the U.S. and eventually settled in St. Louis along with other members of their family. In St. Louis, Licavoli along with his cousins, Peter Licavoli and Thomas Licavoli also known as "Yonnie" were members of the Russo Gang, a predecessor of the St. Louis crime family.