A handsome, bright young man with a good voice, he taught himself the violin.
He worked briefly as a brushmaker; his co-workers became his first audience, calling him "Berl der vertlzoger"[1] - a man who always had a rhyme or a proverb.
[1] From some time in his late teens or early twenties, he headed on the road as an itinerant performer, along with two other singers, one of whom was also a tailor who made costumes for the troupe.
[2] In 1857, when economic crisis hit Brody, he created the Broder-singer troupe and left for Russia.
He composed a tremendous number of songs and couplets which were never published, and would challenge his partners and competitors to rhyming duels, himself generally emerging the victor.