 Around the age of 16 he began working with some of the big names in the West Coast blues scene including Big Joe Turner and T-Bone Walker.In the mid-seventies he joined the James Harman Band and had a stint as pianist for boogie group Canned Heat between November 1974 and May 1976.From 1981 to 1984 he toured with The Blasters, and in 1986 finally recorded his first solo album, "Handmade".