In 1951, during his army service with the Royal Artillery Band, he made his first BBC broadcast as a solo pianist. After leaving the army, he worked with seaside orchestras, a touring opera company and as a ship's musician, but it was during the 1960s he came to prominence as a pianist, arranger and composer on BBC programmes such as "Music in the Air", "Melody around the World" and Ronnie Barker's "Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead". In later life he lived in East Devon, mainly composing but occasionally appearing in recordings, concerts and broadcasts.