Born in
Little Rock, Arkansas, Boone sang in a
Baptist church choir as a boy, then began playing the
trombone at the age of twelve. He served with the
U.S. Army from 1948 to 1953 where he played trombone in a military band. Out of the Army, he returned to Little Rock to study music at
Philander Smith College. In 1956 Boone moved to Los Angeles where he played in venues with
Dolo Coker,
Sonny Criss, and
Dexter Gordon. Boone worked in the backup band for
Della Reese between 1962 and 1966 then became a member of the
Count Basie band. A few years later he left Basie and moved to
Copenhagen, Denmark, performing with the Ernie Wilkins Big Band. ==Discography==