A native of Boston, Billings was a tanner by trade, and was mainly self-taught in music.

Mainly self-taught, Spencer began painting full-time after a brush with cancer, in 1999.

He received some formal training in music, but his musical ability on the fiddle is mainly self-taught.

The band members were mainly self-taught, drawing heavily on their traditional musical and dancing roots.

He is not a college graduate, and is mainly self-taught.

Nissen set out to become a mainly self-taught photographer.

He took up the soprano and then the tenor saxophone, and is mainly self-taught on those instruments.

Mainly self-taught, he attended fashionable lectures on experimental philosophy in Manchester and established his own school there in 1762.

Mr. Parker, who is mainly self-taught, began drumming with kitchen utensils at the age of 3.

He was mainly self-taught, but he did work with his father.