 He moved to Chicago in 1942, by which time he had become known as a singer and pianist.He formed a group, the Blues Rockers, and in 1949 began recording for Aristocrat Records and then Chess Records.His biggest success came in 1952 when his debut solo release, "I Don't Know", written by Cripple Clarence Lofton (who received no royalties), topped the "Billboard" R&B chart for eight weeks.