Sears was born in Macomb, Illinois, United States.

[2] His first major gig came in 1928 when he replaced Johnny Hodges in Chick Webb's ensemble.

[2] In the early 1940s he was with Andy Kirk (1941–42) and Lionel Hampton (1943-44) before he became a member of Duke Ellington's Orchestra in 1944, replacing Ben Webster.

[2] He remained with Ellington until 1949,[2] when first Jimmy Forrest and then Paul Gonsalves took over his chair.

He also owned several record labels, including Arock, Serock, and Gator.