æɾ ˈeɪdʒ tˈɛn, hiː wʌz ɡˈɪvən ɐ sˈɛt ʌv slˈɪŋɡɚlənd ɹˈeɪdɪˌoʊkˈɪŋ dɹˈʌmz baɪ ˈæktɚ dʒˈæk wˈɛb ʌv dɹˈæɡnɛt, ɐ nˈoʊɾᵻd dʒˈæz ɐfˌɪʃənˈɑːdoʊ.
At age ten, he was given a set of Slingerland Radio-King drums by actor Jack Webb of Dragnet, a noted jazz aficionado.