Bandleader Vernon Andrade began playing violin as a teenager in Panama. In the early 1920s he moved to New York City, where he found work in Deacon Johnson's orchestra. Later, switching to string bass, he lead his own orchestra at the Renaissance Casino in Harlem. His residency there lasted more than fifteen years, during which time he employed many well-known musicians, including vocalist Helen Humes, who went on to sing with Count Basie. In his later years Andrade headed a group that worked in and around New York City.