Beryl Booker was born on June 7, 1922 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and studied piano as a child.  She played with Slam Stewart's trio in 1946, playing off and on with him until 1951 and accompanied Dinah Washington.

In early 1952, Booker led a quintet that featured Don Elliot, Chuck Wayne, Clyde Lombard and Connie Kay. She recorded several sessions with Miles Davis and by 1953 had formed a trio with two female musicians – Bonnie Wetzel and Elaine Leighton. This group toured Europe in 1954 as part of the show "Jazz Club USA", which…