When he was twelve years old, he heard the SFS under renowned conductor Pierre Monteux on his family's crystal radio, and vowed to one day play as a member of the orchestra under his direction.

He played in the unit's all-star band with Clark Terry, Al Grey, and O. C. Johnson,[5] and took classes at Northwestern University and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

[1][2][3][7][8][9][10] According to Jet Magazine and Indianapolis Recorder articles in 1953, he quit playing in the Denver Symphony to become the bass player in Nellie Lutcher's band.

[17] He shared the stage with jazz legends such as Billie Holiday, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker, Earl Hines, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton[8] as well as Gene Harris.

[18] He is also noted as the teacher and mentor of bass player Ray Brown and multi-Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves (who is also his niece).