LaVey was born with the name Howard Stanton Levey and was of Jewish descent. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. His family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area of California soon after he was born. He was talented with musical instruments, particularly the pipe organ and calliope. He read a lot. His biography says that he stopped going to high school to join the circus. When the carnival was not active, he played organ in burlesque houses. He then worked as a police photographer in San Francisco, though this has been questioned.