Levy was born to Jewish parents in
Chicago,
Illinois, United States, A professional at age nineteen, Levy played with
Georgie Auld (1947 and later),
Sarah Vaughan,
Chubby Jackson (1947–1948),
Boyd Raeburn,
Woody Herman's Second Herd (1948–1950),
Tommy Dorsey (1950) and
Flip Phillips. Levy left music for a few years in the early 1950s and then returned to gain a strong reputation as an accompanist to singers, working with
Peggy Lee (1955–1973),
Ella Fitzgerald (1957–1962),
June Christy,
Anita O'Day and
Pinky Winters. ==Selected discography==