He grew up listening to folk and country music, but did not start performing until he attended Maryland State College, where he sang, wrote songs, and played guitar in small jazz groups.
Following his graduation with a degree in History and Sociology, he returned to Alabama to work as a high school teacher, while maintaining a singing career by performing in nightclubs and local shows.
His first album for Atco, The Bag I'm In (1962), was recorded by Tom Dowd and supervised by Nesuhi Ertegun, and featured musicians Carl Lynch and Bruce Langhorne (guitars), Bob Bushnell (bass), and Panama Francis (drums).
[6] In 1964, he released the album More Pretty Girls Than One, recorded with a group, The Realists, comprising Anne Stern, Gene Mitchell and Felix Pappalardi.
[2] In 1974, he released the album Good Old Boys as a tribute to country music stars including Hank Williams, Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline and Johnny Horton.