Hargrove began recording as a teenager, and by age 21 he had impressed Sonny Rollins enough to earn a track honouring his lyrical trumpet flair ("Young Roy"). While Jackie McLean, Ray Brown, and Shirley Horn booked him for his hard-bopping virtuosity, others—including Jimmy Smith, D'Angelo, and Erykah Badu—discerned a simmering, soulful R&B contributor.