He also cited as influences George Benson, Kenny Burrell, and Rene Thomas, though none surpassed the impact of seeing Wes Montgomery.
[2] He learned the guitar solo from "Daily Double" (Quaker Town), the first 45 rpm single released by Charles Earland.
When Earland performed in Pittsburgh, he invited Ponder to sit-in with the band and liked what he heard.
[2] He began playing with Earland at 17 and in the following years with Lou Donaldson, Houston Person, Donald Byrd, Stanley Turrentine, and Jimmy McGriff.
Since the late 1980s, he frequently returned to his hometown to perform with his trio of two other Pittsburgh musicians, Gene Ludwig and Roger Humphries.