hiː spˈɛnt ðə fˈɜːst hˈæf ʌv hɪz kɚɹˈɪɹ ɪn hɪz hˈoʊmtaʊn ɪn nˈuː ˈɔːɹliənz, wˌɛɹ hiː bɪkˌeɪm ɐ ɹˈɛzᵻdənt plˈeɪɚɹ æɾə klˈʌb kˈɔːld "ˈɑːz" ɐ klˈʌb wˌɪtʃ hɐdbɪn ɐfˈɛktᵻd baɪ ðə hˈɜːɹᵻkˌeɪn kɐtɹˈiːnə.
He spent the first half of his career in his hometown in New Orleans, where he became a resident player at a club called "Oz" (a club which had been affected by the Hurricane Katrina).