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.
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.