[2] Nanton began playing professionally in Washington, D.C., with bands led by Cliff Jackson and banjoist Elmer Snowden.

[3] Together with Ellington's trumpeter Bubber Miley, Nanton is largely responsible for creating the characteristic wah-wah, or wa-wa, effect.

The mouth has to be shaped to make the different vowel sounds, and above the singing from the throat, manipulation of the plunger adds the wa-wa accents that give the horn a language.

Among the best examples of their style are "East St. Louis Toodle-oo", "The Blues I Love to Sing", "Black and Tan Fantasy", "Goin' to Town", and "Doin' the Voom-Voom".

He developed, in addition to other tricks in his bag, a "ya-ya" effect with a plunger, in combination with a Magosy & Buscher nonpareil trumpet straight mute.

This sort of speaking involved changing the cavity of the mouth while silently reproducing different vowel sounds without actually vibrating the vocal cords.

His palette of near-vocal sounds was radical for its time and helped produce the unique voicings in Ellington compositions, such as "The Mooche" "Black and Tan Fantasy", and "Mood Indigo".

While later trombonists, including Tyree Glenn and Quentin Jackson, tried to duplicate Tricky Sam's plunger techniques, no one was able to completely replicate his sound.