He began playing the trumpet at the age of nine in 1955 while living in the small town of Edgar, Montana.

He attributes his wide range of musical appreciation to a "lack of negative peer pressure which so often happens in cities".

[2] In 1969 Walrath relocated to the West Coast and found work in Los Angeles's jazz scene.

Soon he was a member of the band Revival, with trombonist Glenn Ferris, and the West Coast MotownOrchestra.

The latter album features Walrath's composition "Black Bats and Poles" (originally entitled "Rats and Moles" until Mingus decided it needed a darker name).