 In 1923 he was playing with Wilbur Sweatman at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C. when Fletcher Henderson overheard his playing and offered him a job.He remained in Henderson's employ until 1926, when he joined McKinney's Cotton Pickers, where he played and recorded until 1931.In the 1930s he played with Kaiser Marshall, the Savoy Bearcats, and W.C.