Originally from Florida, Art Gunn relocated to Texas from Florida in 1949 with his Arizona Playboys, signing a two-year deal with the Houston-based record label Macy's, according to Billboard magazine's December 31, 1949, issue. The group included Gunn on vocals, Hamp Stephens on electric guitar, Jimmy Snow on rhythm guitar, Herbert Huffman on steel guitar, and additional unknown musicians.

The first recordings for Macy's by Art Gunn & His Arizona Playboys took place in Houston in the summer of 1949, and included the single Cornbread Boogie. Gunn subsequently recorded for Ravel, Wrangler and his own Arga label. By 1955, the group had been renamed Art Gunn & His Titans. Gunn's final recording sessions appear to have taken place in 1958, under the name Art Gunn & The Playboys.