Les Brown

Happy Birthday, Les Brown 1912-2001...Bandleader, saxophonist, clarinetist and composer, Brown was best known for leading his big band Les Brown and his Band of Renown for nearly 70 years. He got his start as a student at Duke University with his group Les Brown and his Blue Devils playing on campus and touring in the summer up and down the east coast in 1936. While some students returned to continue their education, a few stayed on and would continue to tour becoming the Band of Renown in 1938.

RCA-Victor Records helped him get an engagement at the Edison Hotel in New York and in 1940 he played the New York's World's Fair, adding a young Doris Day as vocalist. At the end of WW2 in 1945 he released "Sentimental Journey" putting Doris Day on the map and becoming the unofficial homecoming theme for many returning from the war. Some of the 10 number one hits recorded by the band were "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", "Mexican Hat Dance", "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" and "Leap Frog".

The band also appeared in shorts and feature films including "Seven Day's Leave", "Rock-A-Billy Baby" and "The Nutty Professor" with Jerry Lewis. They performed with Bob Hope on radio, stage and television for almost 50 years and Tony Bennett, who was "discovered" by Hope, made his first public appearance with the band. The band did 18 USO tours for American troupes around the world and were the house band for the Steve Allen Show (1959-1961) and The Dean Martin Variety Show (1965-1972) giving them the opportunity to play with nearly every major performer of their time.

Les Brown, Jr. took over the band after his father's death in 2001. They continue to perform throughout the world and have a regular big band show in Branson, Missouri.