He played trumpet for the orchestras of Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Wynton Marsalis, Ray Charles, and Harry Connick Jr.

His mother ran the household and worked as a tailor and dressmaker from their home in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles; his father was a freelance artist, actor, and musician.

During the 1940s and 50's he worked in Hollywood as a singer and actor and was in over thirty movie and TV shows, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Superman, and Titanic.

He played saxophone and harmonica and brought Ingram to hear Louis Armstrong, Harry James, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Al Hirt, Buddy Rich, Barney Bigard, Jack Teagarden, Kid Ory, Woody Herman, Rafael Méndez, and Teddy Buckner.

Rinaldo's jazz program included others who went on to become professionals, such as drummers Carlos Vega and Sam Wiley, bassists Scott Colley and David Stone, guitarist Larry Koonse, saxophonists Doug Rinaldo, Brian Mitchell, and Gary Hypes, trombonists Arturo Velasco and Luis Bonilla, pianist Guy Steiner, and trumpeters Bobby Muzingo and Buddy Gordon.

Ingram's teachers included Bud Brisbois, Mannie Klein, Roy Stevens, Don Raffell, Bobby Findley, Carmine Caruso, Reynold Schilke, James Stamp, Uan Rasey, Mel Broiles, and Dan Jacobs.

[1][3] At sixteen, Ingram toured with Louie Bellson, sharing section duties with Blue Mitchell, Bobby Shew, Cat Anderson, and Frank Szabo.

[10] Ingram returned to Los Angeles after Herman's death, founding and co-leading his big band with saxophonist Steve Elliott.

In September 2006, he performed as a featured soloist at the Maynard Ferguson Tribute Concert in St. Louis, Missouri, with many other trumpeters, including his long-time friend and colleague Wayne Bergeron.

While in Miami, he collaborated with his friend and colleague, Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, recording the Grammy Award-winning album, Danzon.

After touring with singer-songwriter Paul Anka, he joined the re-formed Harry Connick Jr. Big Band in 1998 and recorded the Grammy-nominated album Come by Me.

While living in New York, Ingram performed in a freelance capacity in more than twenty Broadway productions, including Chicago, Grease, Cats, Les Misérables, and The Producers.

[1] From 2011–2014, manufactured by Pickett Brass of Lexington Kentucky, Ingram's line of six professional mouthpieces for B-flat trumpet (the V-cup, the Lead, the Studio, the Jazz, the Be-Bop, and the Instant Chet) arrived on the market.