After learning the trumpet in his teens, Charlie Shaver played with various minor bands before joining Tiny Bradshaw in 1937. That same year he played with Lucky Millinder and Jimmie Noone before joining John Kirby’s sextet. He remained with Kirby for seven years, working as trumpeter and arranger. He composed several songs, including "Pastel Blue," which, with added lyrics, became the jazz standard "Why Begin Again." In 1944, he joined the Tommy Dorsey orchestra, where, for a decade, he was a featured soloist. He also appeared alongside Nat "King" Cole and Buddy Rich on 1945’s ANATOMY OF A JAM SESSION. In the '50s and '60s, Shavers concentrated on small group work, but also toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic.