Early Life
Friend was born into in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1893. His father was first violinist with the Woods Theater Orchestra. Friend studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with the aim of becoming a concert pianist, until a three-year bout of tuberculosis. Friend met Harry Richman while working on vaudeville shows, and the two moved to Los Angeles, California where they befriended Buddy De Sylva and Al Jolson.
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