Though he never had any formal training, he was blessed with a remarkable memory, and his musical knowledge was already considerable by the time he made his first professional recordings aged 19 in 1954.
Aínda que nunca tivo ningún adestramento formal, os seus coñecementos musicais xa eran considerables cando fixo as súas primeiras gravacións profesionais en 1954, á idade de 19 anos.