A friend of his father by the name of Sam Walker taught Freddie to read music, and keenly encouraged him to keep up his guitar playing.

Another member of the group was William "Cat" Anderson, who went on to become an established trumpeter, working with notable figures such as Duke Ellington.

In one of these gigs, he was noticed by the legendary talent scout John H. Hammond, who realized the potential of Green and introduced him to Basie.

"[3]: 100  Green did play a solo on the January 16, 1938, Carnegie Hall concert that featured the Benny Goodman big band.

[7] With Count Basie With Buck Clayton With Al Cohn With Harry Edison With Paul Quinichette With Joe Newman With Sarah Vaughan With others