Below was born in
Chicago, and as he put it – "grew up around nothing
but music". He started learning music and playing drums in the
DuSable High School and at about the age of 14, formed a sort of a
jazz band with two of his high school friends,
Johnny Griffin and
Eugene Wright. As a young man, Below served in the Army twice. The first time between 1945–1946, after being
conscripted into the
United States Army, he served in the infantry ("I practiced on helmet liners, helmets, boxes and things like that"). In 1946, when he was discharged from his service and came back home to Chicago, Below attended the reputable
Roy C. Knapp School of Percussion, from which he graduated in 1948, and in which he received a wide and thorough musical education. Below re-enlisted the army in 1948, this time as part of the Special Services, and he served in Germany as a member of the 427th Army band. After that second service, he stayed and played in a nightclub in Germany before returning to the United States in 1951. Back in Chicago, Below joined the
Aces, a band comprising the guitar-playing brothers Louis and Dave Myers and the harmonica player
Junior Wells. In 1952,
Little Walter left the
Muddy Waters band to pursue a solo career, Wells took over his role on harp in the Muddy Waters band, and Walter commandeered the Aces (the Myers brothers and Below). As Little Walter and the Nightcats, they became one of the top
electric blues bands in Chicago. In 1955, Below left Little Walter's band to concentrate on working as a session musician for Chess Records. Among his more famous work, he played on Chuck Berry's 1957 hit single "
School Days" as well as on other Berry recording including "
Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (1956), "
Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "
Too Much Monkey Business" (1956), the
calypso flavored, "Havana Moon" (1956), "
Rock and Roll Music" (1957), "
Sweet Little Sixteen" (1957), "
Reelin' and Rockin'" (1957), "
Guitar Boogie" (1957), "
Memphis, Tennessee" (1958), "Sweet Little Rock and Roller" (1958), "
Little Queenie" (1958), "
Almost Grown" (1959), "
Back in the U.S.A." (1959) and "
Let It Rock" (1959). Below rejoined the Myers brothers for a tour of Europe in 1970. Below died of
liver cancer on August 13, 1988, in Chicago, at the age of 61. ==Partial discography==