Lester Raymond Brown (March 14, 1912 – January 4, 2001) was an American jazz musician who or over six decades (1938-2000) led his big band, later called Les Brown and His Band of Renown .
14-743: Les Brown may refer to: Les Brown (bandleader) (1912–2001), American big band leader Les Brown (politician) (born 1945), American author, motivational speaker, and former Ohio politician The Les Brown Show , a 1993 talk show hosted by him Les Brown (American football) (born 1987), NFL tight end Les Brown (journalist) (1928–2013), American journalist See also [ edit ] Leslie Brown (disambiguation) Leslie Browne (born 1957), American ballet dancer and actress Les Battersby-Brown , fictional character in British soap-opera Coronation Street [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
28-694: A #1 hit, "Joltin' Joe DiMagio", with his lead vocalist Betty Bonney. In 1942, Brown and his band concluded work on an RKO picture, Sweet and Hot ; played at the Palladium Ballroom, Hollywood. A few years later, in 1945, this band brought Doris Day into prominence with their recording of " Sentimental Journey ". The song's release coincided with the end of World War II in Europe and became an unofficial homecoming theme for many veterans. The band had nine other number-one hit songs, including " I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm " (1949). In 1952–53, Brown
42-511: A guest star. The program was sponsored initially by and later by the Rexall drug company as a summer replacement for Amos 'n' Andy . It was later sponsored by CBS-Columbia, Incorporated, the manufacturing subsidiary of CBS. " It's Magic " was the theme. As the show's title implies, Doris Day was the star. Les Brown and his orchestra provided instrumental music. The announcers were Don Wilson , Johnny Jacobs and Roy Rowan. Sam Pierce
56-727: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Les Brown (bandleader) Brown was born in Reinerton, Pennsylvania . He enrolled in the Conway Military Band School (later part of Ithaca College ) in 1926, studying with famous bandleader Patrick Conway for three years before receiving a music scholarship to the New York Military Academy , where he graduated in 1932. Brown attended college at Duke University from 1932 to 1936. There he led
70-542: The "Ambassador of Patriotism" award from the POW Network. Brown Jr. died from cancer at his home in Branson, Missouri, on January 9, 2023, at the age of 82. The Doris Day Show (radio program) The Doris Day Show was an American old-time radio musical program. It was broadcast on CBS from March 28, 1952, to May 26, 1953. Star Doris Day's singing highlighted the show, and each episode usually featured
84-583: The 2012 festival celebrating the 100th birthday anniversary, the town of Reinerton renamed the street near Les' birthplace to Les Brown Lane. In 2013 his hometown of Reinerton, PA adopted as the town's official slogan: Reinerton: The Town of Renown in honor of Les and his band. Les Brown Sr. died of lung cancer in 2001, and was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles , California . He
98-571: The Band were also the house band for The Steve Allen Show (1959–1961) and the Dean Martin Show (1965–1972). Brown and the band performed with virtually every major performer of their time, including Frank Sinatra , Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole . The annual Les Brown Big Band Festival, started March 2006 in Les' hometown, features area big bands preserving the songs of the big band era. At
112-491: The acting manager and helped define their future. The band appeared regularly on the Spotlight Band radio programme, which broadcast to a military audience and made them permanent favorites of millions of men in uniform. Also on this show, the band was first referred to as "Les Brown & His Band of Renown" in 1942. The moniker stuck and became the official bandname from the 1950s onwards. In 1941, Brown's band had
126-486: The group Les Brown and His Blue Devils , who performed regularly on Duke's campus and up and down the east coast. Brown took the band on an extensive summer tour in 1936. At the end of the tour, while some of the band members returned to Duke to continue their education, others stayed on with Brown and continued to tour, becoming in 1938 the Les Brown Orchestra. The band's original drummer, Don Kramer, became
140-403: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Les_Brown&oldid=1183663110 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
154-578: The world and had a regular big band show in Branson, Missouri . Brown Jr. also hosted a national radio show on the Music of Your Life network. Brown Jr. was a television actor in the 1960s ( Gunsmoke , General Hospital , The Baileys of Balboa , Gilligan's Island ), a rock musician and producer who worked with Carlos Santana , and a concert promoter for many country music artists including Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn . In 2004, Brown Jr. received
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#1732782867138168-490: Was "discovered" by Bob Hope and did his first public performance with Brown and the Band. The first film that Brown and the band appeared in was Seven Days' Leave (1942) starring Victor Mature and Lucille Ball . Rock-A-Billy Baby , a low-budget 1957 film, was the Band of Renown's second, and in 1963 they appeared in the Jerry Lewis ' comedy The Nutty Professor playing their theme song " Leap Frog ". Brown and
182-580: Was survived by his wife Evelyn, son Les Jr., and daughter Denise. He was 88 years old at the time of his death. His grandson, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh , co-created the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb and Milo Murphy's Law . Brown was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2001, Les Brown Jr. (1940–2023), became the full-time leader of the Band of Renown. It performed throughout
196-584: Was the orchestra leader on Day's radio program, The Doris Day Show , on CBS. Les Brown and the Band of Renown performed with Bob Hope on radio, stage and television for almost fifty years. They did 18 USO Tours for American troops around the world, and entertained over three million people. Before the Super Bowls were televised, the Bob Hope Christmas Specials were the highest-rated programs in television history. Tony Bennett
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