He flew aircraft in World War II, and later became a musical producer for television and albums credited to other artists.

[3] Both of his parents were musicians; his mother was a concert pianist before marriage and, at the time of Byrne's birth, his father was in France with the U.S. Army band.

[5] Byrne was instructed musically at home by his parents from an early age, as well as at Cass Technical, which he later attended as a student.

[5] At one point, the senior Byrne invited Tommy Dorsey to hear the school's band, which was led by his son.

Their manager called in several replacements for the crucial trombone part, however, due to either personal or professional reasons, they all declined.

His mother instantly drove him (with a harp in addition to his three trombones)[7] to the Glen Island Casino,[6] where the orchestra was under contract to play for several months.

[8] By August, Byrne had recorded his first solo with the band on their hit single "From the Top of Your Head to the Tip of Your Toes".

[3] In November 1939, he formed his own band, based out of Detroit,[4] with the assistance of manager Tommy Rockwell[3] and the backing of Jimmy Dorsey,[9] for whom he continued to record until at least April 1940.

[10] After signing contracts with Decca Records and the Glen Island Casino, Byrne's career as a bandleader appeared to be off to a positive start.

[3] His theme, "Meditation at Moonlight", was composed expressly for him by Peter de Rose and Mitchell Parish.

Bill Simon liked the sophisticated aural shadings, but felt they were not suited to many of the venues where the band performed.

At this point Byrne signed with Mercury Records and became musical director for the ABC Television show Club Seven.

[16][17] He re-built his band yet again in 1950, eliminating woodwinds and focusing on brass and saxes, not to mention his occasional harp solo.

[citation needed] Finding the big-band scene in decline, Byrne disbanded his outfit to concentrate on recording studio work, and on radio and television.