Jazz artist who was an unselfish, understated accompanist. He was praised for his lyricism and romantic soul.
He became the first African-American to be accepted into the Peabody Conservatory of Music.
He performed and recorded with many prominent artists of the 1940s, including Billy Moore, Edmond Hall, Coleman Hawkins, Mildred Bailey, and Dicky Wells.
His parents were both classically trained musicians. His father was a violinist who established a two-hours-per-day practicing regimen for his son.
He recorded two memorable collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald: 1950's Ella Sings Gershwin and Songs in a Mellow Mood from 1954.
