He later turned to alto saxophone and by the age of 11 was a professional tenor saxophonist who also played several other instruments. He met Lu Watters and Turk Murphy in 1935 and began playing with them.
After turning to the alto saxophone at an early age, he became a professional tenor saxophonist by 11 years old and also played various other instruments. In 1935, he met Lu Watters and Turk Murphy and started performing with them.