[1] He was drafted into service in World War II, and sang baritone with a vocal group, the Bullets, at USO shows.
After the war he moved to Los Angeles, and sang in local jump blues bands before being recruited by Mercury Records, for a short time, as their West Coast A&R man for black music.
The upbeat song, with honking saxes and pounding piano,[3] became a regional hit and was leased to Modern Records, but was covered more successfully by other artists.
Oscar McLollie and his Honey Jumpers continued over the next few years to record a series of songs written by Leon or Googie René, including "God Gave Us Christmas", and "Lolly Pop" which was covered by Louis Jordan.
The single, promoted by DJ Alan Freed, became McLollie's biggest seller on the Modern label and won him a slot on the Hunter Hancock TV show.