Sonny was born in Washington D.C. to Betty L. King. He attended Fort Hill High School in Cumberland Maryland and continued to perform in plays and played keyboard in a local "cover" band. After high school and a short stint as a drama major at the University Of Maryland, Sonny joined the Navy before the Marines and Army came calling with the draft. Vietnam was raging and Sonny spent a year aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S.Ranger. He came to L.A. 1981, family in tow, and has made his living as an electrician, actor and musician until the present.