 He and his family relocated to Tranquility, California, just outside of Fresno in 1935 after escaping the dust bowl.He began singing on KMJ-AM Radio in Fresno with Gene Autry at age 9.After moving to Modesto in 1942, he found his way into the radio broadcasting business with several stations in the central California valley starting with KTRB-AM at age 12 and remaining there for 16 years.