Les Hite

Les Hite ( born February 13, 1903 in DuQuoin, Illinois, † February 6, 1962 in Santa Monica, California ) was an American big band leader of the swing. He played alto saxophone, piano and xylophone.

Les Hite was already playing in the family band saxophone and studied at the University of Illinois. He toured with Helen Dewey and entered 1925 in Los Angeles, the band of brothers at Spike and played thereafter in various orchestras, including its own dance band in Solomon Penny's dance hall. In 1930 he took over in Los Angeles the Orchestra of the Quality Serenaders by Paul Howard, with whom he played a lot on the west coast and also worked for film studios. They became known as Hite with his band 1930-1932 Louis Armstrong ( and Fats Waller ) at performances in Sebastian's New Cotton Club ( also the name of the orchestra ) accompanied in Los Angeles and took up with him. In addition to his band had toured firm commitment in 1937 in New York, in 1938 in Portland and in 1940 in Chicago. 1942-1945 Les Hite led a band in Los Angeles, but changed the profession and thereafter initiated an artist's agency.

Many famous jazz musicians played from time to time in the band of Les Hite, as Lionel Hampton, Lawrence Brown (as well as Hampton already at the Quality Serenaders ) Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Wilder, Al Morgan, T -Bone Walker.