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