He grew up in Pascagoula, Mississippi. He taught himself to play guitar. In 1955, he moved to Chicago, and worked in a box factory by day while playing in blues clubs at night.
His first album, "Fast Fingers," came out in 1969, and won the Grand Prix du Disque from the Hot Club of France. He recorded several albums in the United States and Europe. In the 1980s, he had his own record company, Leric.
He didn't like the nickname "Fast Fingers", because he felt it typecast him as a high-energy, showy player, and overlooked his affinity for the slower blues.