He was involved with music and the performing arts for most of his childhood;[2] he also played the guitar, violin and trumpet.

[3] At age 16, Tutt played his first paying gig, with a Western Swing band which included guitarists Tommy Morrell and Leon Rhodes; they would become the staff band for The Northside Jamboree with Scotty Moore and Bill Black, Saturday night live radio broadcasts which aired from the Northside Coliseum in Fort Worth.

Tutt thought that he had lost the chance to even audition, as Gene Pello was incredibly experienced and seemed to be winning Elvis Presley over.

[3] Tutt played on Billy Joel's second and third albums: 1973's breakthrough, Piano Man[6] (all tracks but "Captain Jack") and 1974's Streetlife Serenade.

During this time, Tutt also played drums on Garcia's studio albums Reflections[10] (1976) and Cats Under the Stars (1978).