Beckett's professional career began in
Kansas City in the 1930s, and soon after he landed a job with
Eddie Johnson's Crackerjacks in
St. Louis, Missouri. He played with
Duke Wright,
Tommy Douglas,
Buster Smith, and
Andy Kirk over the next few years, as well as time in a
territory band with
Prince Stewart and a gig in
Omaha, Nebraska with
Nat Towles. Later in the decade he played with
Harlan Leonard. Beckett's musical style has been described as flexible and legato. He served in the
Army during
World War II, where he contracted
tuberculosis. He died of the illness in 1946 at the age of 28. ==References==