Quirky pianist-songwriter, noted for his plaintive, nasally voice, who
has released a number of jazz albums. His songs have included "Van
Lingle Mungo" (the lyrics of which consist entirely of the names of
old-time baseball players), "My Attorney Bernie", "Sweet Kentucky Ham",
"Do You Miss New York", "Let's Eat Home", "Blizzard Of Lies", and a
number of songs for ABC's Schoolhouse Rock (1973) which include the
classic "I'm Just A Bill".
He started out as a pianist who wrote advertising jingles on the side. In the 1960s, he worked with jazz artists including saxophonist Ben Webster, drummer Gene Krupa and singer Carmen McRae.
He took music courses at the University of Minnesota, where he majored in journalism. After graduation, he spent two years in the Air Force.