He started percussion lessons when he was 4, and later won a music
scholarship to the University of Michigan. He played drums in the Army
Band during WWII. After the war, he played in nightclubs, developing
excellent sight-reading skills. He played with groups led by Duke
Ellington, Benny Goodman, Skitch Henderson, Quincy Jones, and Gerry
Mulligan. He backed up Billie Holliday, Carmen McRae, Barbra Streisand,
and Tony Bennett.