Menza was born in Buffalo, where he attended Grover Cleveland High School.

[1] After serving in the U.S. Army, he was part of the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra from 1960 to 1962 and then briefly worked for Stan Kenton.

[4] Menza wrote two of the charts played by the Buddy Rich Band: "Time Check" and "Groovin' Hard".

His son Nick Menza (1964–2016) was the drummer for the heavy metal band Megadeth.

[5] With Louie Bellson With Les DeMerle With Neil Diamond With Maynard Ferguson With others