Pianist, organist. He studied piano at the Cinn. Conservatory of Music. At 15 years old he was playing both piano and pipe-organ at Radio Station WLS in Cincinnati. He had a 16-piece band before he was 16. He played theaters, clubs and radio dates all over the Mid-West. He was organist for WWJ and WJR in Detroit and was working club-dates for Jean Goldkette before he was 17. He played the Hammond organ and moved to the West Coast to sell the Hammond Electric Organs for L.A.'s Penny-Owsley Music Company.