Dargen McWhorter

McWhorter was born in Atlanta in 1935. When he was 3 years old his family moved to Chattanooga, Tenn., where he lived until he graduated high school. He wanted to be a boxer and moved to California in 1955, shortly after graduating high school, at the encouragement of some friends in the military who told him he had a better chance of pursuing a boxing career there. After competing in the Golden Gloves that year and losing in the finals, McWhorter turned professional, winning six straight fights on his way to a 10-4 record from 1956 to 1959, all the while attending Pasadena City College. His boxing career ended when he broke his left arm in his final fight, McWhorter's younger brother, Samuel McWhorter, had a deep interest in music, and needed funds to record some of his material. McWhorter and his partner formed a company to back him, Vitale and McWhorter Enterprises (VME).