Raised in Queens, NYC, Lionel Cordew grew up with some of jazz's greatest legends as neighbours, namely Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, or James Brown, sometimes being privy to impromptu backyard concerts or intimate shows in clubs. Surrounded by music at a young age, Lionel and his four older brothers performed at his parents' church every Sunday, attracting standing crowds each time. The talented young man could soon be heard playing in various clubs each week while finishing his musical studies, when he was discovered by Dean Brown and Schuyler Deale, who invited him to join their band PRIMO. The collaboration led up to Cordew's drums being prominently heard in the soundtrack to the movie The Prince of Tides, and various other television or studio sessions.