Career
He was Erroll Garner"s older brother. As a youngster he was keener to play cornet than piano, but due to problems with his teeth, was forced to concentrate on the keyboard. He was arranger and pianist with Fletcher Henderson"s band before the war, then spent 1943 to 1946 in the army, where he played both piano and trumpet in different bands.
Afterwards he was pianist and arranger for a number of distinguished bands including those of Billy Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie.
He also accompanied Sarah Vaughan, National King Cole, Carmen McRae and Della Reese. He also composed both melodies and lyrics, including "You"re the One Foreign Maine."
He moved to Canada in 1963.
After moving to Vancouver in 1974, he sang and played the piano in Rossini"s restaurant in Kitsilano. He particularly enjoyed 7 years resident pianist at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Later (in the 1990s) he was playing in The Three Greenhorns in Vancouver.