In 1924, he won a university competition for a prom song with a composition entitled Dreary Weather.
[2] He then composed music for the university's Mask and Wig Club, collaborating especially with lyricist Moe Jaffe in writing the songs for many of their shows.
He also performed as a pianist with leading big bands of the era and was noted for his skills as an arranger.
He subsequently practiced as a dentist in Ardmore, Pennsylvania but continued to compose and participate as a partner in the music publishing business.
[4] In later life, he lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey and died on July 23, 1963, aged 59, in the Naval Hospital of St. Albans, Queens.