Schooled at the Illinois Conservatory of Music, he returned to Hawai‘i to become a part-time member of the band under Henry Berger as well as other musical groups around Honolulu. Then he left Hawai‘i to lead the band for the Pennsylvania Pulp and Paper Company for 15 years. Under his baton the band flourished, the budget for the group increased, and members' pay was raised. The band staged radio broadcasts of their Kapi‘olani Park concerts and set a world's record by playing for 12 hours straight, performing nearly the entire band's music catalog.