 He formed his first group, the Hoot Owl Ramblers, in his teens, and also performed a solo novelty act in talent shows.In 1939, he joined Happy Wilson's Golden River Boys, a country swing group, and acquired his nickname when a van trunk lid fell on him before a show and he never flinched.After wartime service he returned to work with the group, before leaving to become their agent and starting to appear on local TV.