 Count Basie was an early influence on Wyands' style.In the early 1950s, Wyands was part of Vernon Alley's group that was the house band at the Black Hawk club in San Francisco, and thus part of the rhythm section that accompanied visiting soloists.The year after leaving the Black Hawk in 1954, Wyands was an intermission performer at another San Francisco club, before becoming music director for vocalist Ella Fitzgerald during a 3-month period in 1956.