When Sonny Helmer was growing up in the frigid Minnesota winters, he played and dreamed of hot jazz. A Naval ROTC scholarship landed him in sunny California where things really began to take off.
In the StoryCorps Atlanta booth, the now 85-year-old told friend Norah MacLeod about some candid times from Hollywood Boulevard to Bourbon Street.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
