 Born in Stockton, California, Stone's father was country musician Herman the Hermit.The family moved to Burbank, and early in his life, he played bass in the big bands of Freddie Slack and Anson Weeks in Southern California, as well as working at local radio stations KXLA, KFI, KFVD, KFWB and KFOX-AM 1280 in Long Beach.Starting in 1935, Stone appeared on the Los Angeles-based radio shows "Covered Wagon Jubilee", "Hollywood Barn Dance", "Dinner Bell Roundup", and "Lucky Stars", singing as well as performing comedy routines and acting as host and DJ in the mid-1940s.