Loomis was born in Galveston, Texas, United States, to musical parents and he learned to play the drums, piano, guitar and harmonica at an early age. In his teenage years, he was part of a doo-wop singing family group that performed at the Delta Blues Festival. Having broken away from this stricture, Loomis began playing solo and met a number of renowned blues musicians. Loomis later commented, "When I was coming up in the music scene, I was lucky to have musical mentors like Joe "Guitar" Hughes, Johnny Copeland, and of course, rock icon Bo Diddley.” “These ‘veterans’ took the time to teach and give advice to us youngsters, as if ‘passing the torch.’" Loomis also got help and advice from others including Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Albert Collins. Diddley especially became a friend and mentor to Loomis, later making guest appearances on a couple of Loomis' albums (Hamilton and Ain't Just Temporary), and giving Loomis a red guitar that he still plays.
