hiː ɪmˈɜːdʒd ɪnðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti z θɹuː hɪz wˈɜːk plˈeɪɪŋ ɐlˈɔŋsaɪd mˈʌɡsi spˈeɪniɚ ænd fɹˈæŋk tˈɛskiːmˌɑːkɚɹ ɪn ɐ kˈʌvɚ bˈænd wˌɛɹ ðeɪ plˈeɪd ðə mjˈuːzɪk ʌv lˈuːi ˈɑːɹmstɹɔŋ, bˌʌt hiː dɪdnˌɑːt ɐtʃˈiːv wˈaɪdɚ ɹˌɛkəɡnˈɪʃən ʌntˈɪl ðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi z.
He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they played the music of Louis Armstrong, but he did not achieve wider recognition until the 1940s.