Although some sources claim he was born in Philadelphia,[1] researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc give his birthplace as Alabama.
With various bands, credited as the Hollywood All Stars or the Wampus Cats, he recorded sporadically for several labels between the mid-1940s and late 1950s.
He also had a radio show on NBC in the mid-1940s, when he was known as "The Man in the Moon".
[1] His biggest success as a recording artist came in 1949, when "Late After Hours" on the Selective label, credited to "The Great Gates", reached number 6 on the R&B chart.
His last recordings, as an organist, were in 1962, on the Robins Nest label.