Les Brown (bandleader)

Les Brown, to distinguish him from his son, who took over the band, including Les Brown senior ( born March 14, 1912 in Reinerton, Pennsylvania, † 24 January 2001 in Los Angeles, California ) was an American arranger, saxophonist and Big band Leader of Swing.

Life and work

Les Brown learned early saxophone and played with his father RW Brown, a baker and saxophonist, ten years old in local dance events. He attended Ithaca Conservatory of Music, the New York Military Academy and Duke University, whose dance band Blue Devils in 1935 joined (Pickup 1936). He moved to New York and arranged for Jimmy Dorsey, among others, before he in 1938 got the chance to form a band in a Manhattan hotel. The tape was broadcast on the radio and got a recording contract with RCA Victor. In December 1939, he succeeded to the Jimmy Van Heusen - number "Make with the Kisses" to place a first hit on the charts for Bluebird, but in 1941 he succeeded to build on this success. In the early 1940s he changed his style, he gave soloists more space and hired a singer, Doris Day, but soon got married and left the band again. Popularity they achieved by transmitting a radio show in which an announcer missed them also their future band name Band of Renown.

1943 Brown persuaded the now divorced Doris Day to start again as a singer of the band. In 1944 she had with her ​​the No. 1 hit Sentimental Journey, which was the welcome tune of returning after the Second World War, U.S. forces as well as the signature tune of the band. With Doris Day, which was until 1946 when the band, the band had nine other number - one hits ( at the time with Columbia Records ). The band subsequently took numerous tours to the troops, for the U.S. armed forces, in particular the entertainer Bob Hope, with which the band was joined in 1947 over 50 years, both in radio, television (eg in the very successful Christmas Specials by Bob Hope) as well as on stage. Also in the 1950s, in which Brown was anchored in Los Angeles, the band released successful plates at Capitol. Bandvokalistin was the early 1950s, Lucy Ann Polk. Tony Bennett made ​​his debut with the band, which was also the house band of the Dean Martin Show ( TV starting in 1965) and the Steve Allen talk show, also in the 1960s. They also accompanied by numerous stars from Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole.

In 2001, his son Les Brown Jr., who worked as a TV actor, rock musician, concert manager for country music before the band.