Mance began playing professionally in his early teens and left college in 1947 to join Gene Ammons' band, where he began his recording career. Mance also worked with Lester Young before being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951. In the 36th Army Band, he served with another notable Jazz musician: Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. After his discharge from the Army in 1953, Mance worked as a sideman and accompanist with musicians such as Dinah Washington, Cannonball Adderley, and Dizzy Gillespie before recording his first album as a leader and forming his own trio in 1961.

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