Biography by Scott Yanow
The leader of a first-class jazz-oriented dance band for over 60 years, Les Brown's music was never innovative but was generally quite pleasing. Brown was born in Reinerton, PA, into the family of a baker. He got started in music early, taking up the saxophone at age seven with the strong encouragement of his father, who played the trombone. He knew how to sight-read before he was ten, and was playing alongside his father by that time at local dances. Brown left high school after one year, choosing instead to attend the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, where he studied theory, harmony, and composition. He passed through the New York Military Academy before landing at Duke University, where he joined the Duke Blue Devils, the university's official dance band, in 1935. Their sound was modeled after the Casa Loma Orchestra, which was then one of the most popular dance bands in the country, especially among college audiences.
Brown made his first recordings as a member of the Blue Devils in 1936 for Decca, but by the following year they'd split up, as the members who were still undergraduates returned to school. Brown went to New York and spent a year working for Jimmy Dorsey, Isham Jones, and Larry Clinton as an arranger. His chance at forming a new band came in 1938 when an executive at RCA arranged a booking for him at the Hotel Edison in Manhattan, if he could put a group together. Brown secured a loan from his father to get the band off the ground and he soon had a 12-piece outfit playing at the hotel. A series of regular live radio broadcasts of the band soon had their reputation spreading far beyond the ranks of the hotel's dance patrons, and RCA Victor quickly signed them to its Bluebird imprint.
The group was doing well as the 1930s closed out, drawing a healthy dance audience and a substantial listenership. Their records weren't the most ambitious in the world -- mostly covers of standards and other bands' hits, interspersed with an occasional Les Brown original -- but they sold well enough to keep the recording industry interested in them. In the late '30s, most of their sound was built on ensemble playing, and they displayed a rich, full tone that came off well, both in person and over the air as well as on record. Brown insisted on a polished, precise sound and audiences seemed to devour it. But starting in 1940, he began altering their sound by allowing room for his soloists to go to work doing that they did best, and audiences liked it even better. Then he hired his first vocalist, a teenager named Doris Day, who sang with a depth and level of sophistication far beyond her 17 years, and their popularity soared. Day's first stay with the group wasn't long -- less than a year -- before she left to get married. Her replacement, Betty Bonney, was aboard when the band cut a song devoted to the then-current phenomenon of Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak -- "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" became their first chart hit. When the smoke cleared, the band found itself ranked among the top ten most popular performing outfits in the country.
It was a radio show, Spotlight Band, that inadvertently played a big role in their subsequent history. The Les Brown band appeared regularly on the program, which went to service audiences around the country (and made them permanent favorites of millions of men in uniform). But it was a chance moment in 1942, when an announcer referred to them as "Les Brown & His Band of Renown," that proved a key to their future. The reference sounded great, and it stuck, and it became the band's permanent name. They came to occupy a peculiar niche in the musical world as it existed in those years -- although it wasn't really a jazz band, Brown's group employed enough elements of jazz, and enough high-quality soloists (and Brown seldom featured himself in the latter capacity, though he was a good player), that they were treated with a great deal of respect by jazz players and in the jazz journals of the period.
The next pivotal moment came in 1943 when Brown persuaded Doris Day, now divorced and raising a son (actually, future producer Terry Melcher), to return to the band. The result, in 1944, was one of the most enduring hits of World War II, "Sentimental Journey." It not only became one of the defining hits of the big-band era, but also Brown's signature tune (and, to a lesser degree, Day's signature tune) for the next 50 years, and even in the 21st century is totally identified with both of them. The song was written by Ben Homer, a composer and arranger who was also responsible for the various dance adaptations of classical works that Brown's band recorded. Brown spent most of the 1940s signed to Columbia Records, which was also the home of Doris Day as a solo act. Brown's career momentum was slowed only when the Second World War drew to a close, and he decided to spend more time with his wife and family, which meant giving up touring -- he'd had some excellent soloists in his band, including Abe Most and Ted Nash, but they soon began drifting away to other work once Brown settled down in Los Angeles.
In early 1947, Brown took on an extended engagement at the Hollywood Bowl, which resulted in his reactivating the band in a new incarnation, made up of freelancers -- he also discovered that there were enough truly high-caliber examples of the latter that the music didn't suffer at all. As a result of that engagement, he also picked up what proved to be the longest running gig of his career when he started working with Bob Hope. The association with Hope -- which resulted in Brown touring for many years in tandem with the legendary comedian's performances on behalf of American servicemen -- made it possible for the orchestra to stay together for many decades. The Dave Pell Octet, which was quite popular in the mid-'50s, was comprised of some of Brown's sidemen. In the late '50s, Brown became one of the founding members of the Recording Academy. Brown was signed to Capitol Records during this same period and enjoyed a fresh string of hit singles and successful LPs through the end of the decade -- such was his reputation that he was easily able to recruit top players (such a reedman Billy Usselton) for those later bands, and those Capitol recordings have found an enduring audience much as his earlier Columbia sides did. Additionally, his work with Hope helped to keep his name alive for several generations of television viewers, among others, well into the 1980s. Brown also occasionally toured throughout the last decades of his life, even performing within a year of his death on January 4, 2001, at the age of 88. His son, Les Brown, Jr., a musician who was primarily known as an actor, took over the Band of Renown during the 21st century and has kept it going since.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-brown-mn0000511773/biography
The leader of a first-class jazz-oriented dance band for over 60 years, Les Brown's music was never innovative but was generally quite pleasing. Brown was born in Reinerton, PA, into the family of a baker. He got started in music early, taking up the saxophone at age seven with the strong encouragement of his father, who played the trombone. He knew how to sight-read before he was ten, and was playing alongside his father by that time at local dances. Brown left high school after one year, choosing instead to attend the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, where he studied theory, harmony, and composition. He passed through the New York Military Academy before landing at Duke University, where he joined the Duke Blue Devils, the university's official dance band, in 1935. Their sound was modeled after the Casa Loma Orchestra, which was then one of the most popular dance bands in the country, especially among college audiences.
Brown made his first recordings as a member of the Blue Devils in 1936 for Decca, but by the following year they'd split up, as the members who were still undergraduates returned to school. Brown went to New York and spent a year working for Jimmy Dorsey, Isham Jones, and Larry Clinton as an arranger. His chance at forming a new band came in 1938 when an executive at RCA arranged a booking for him at the Hotel Edison in Manhattan, if he could put a group together. Brown secured a loan from his father to get the band off the ground and he soon had a 12-piece outfit playing at the hotel. A series of regular live radio broadcasts of the band soon had their reputation spreading far beyond the ranks of the hotel's dance patrons, and RCA Victor quickly signed them to its Bluebird imprint.
The group was doing well as the 1930s closed out, drawing a healthy dance audience and a substantial listenership. Their records weren't the most ambitious in the world -- mostly covers of standards and other bands' hits, interspersed with an occasional Les Brown original -- but they sold well enough to keep the recording industry interested in them. In the late '30s, most of their sound was built on ensemble playing, and they displayed a rich, full tone that came off well, both in person and over the air as well as on record. Brown insisted on a polished, precise sound and audiences seemed to devour it. But starting in 1940, he began altering their sound by allowing room for his soloists to go to work doing that they did best, and audiences liked it even better. Then he hired his first vocalist, a teenager named Doris Day, who sang with a depth and level of sophistication far beyond her 17 years, and their popularity soared. Day's first stay with the group wasn't long -- less than a year -- before she left to get married. Her replacement, Betty Bonney, was aboard when the band cut a song devoted to the then-current phenomenon of Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak -- "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" became their first chart hit. When the smoke cleared, the band found itself ranked among the top ten most popular performing outfits in the country.
It was a radio show, Spotlight Band, that inadvertently played a big role in their subsequent history. The Les Brown band appeared regularly on the program, which went to service audiences around the country (and made them permanent favorites of millions of men in uniform). But it was a chance moment in 1942, when an announcer referred to them as "Les Brown & His Band of Renown," that proved a key to their future. The reference sounded great, and it stuck, and it became the band's permanent name. They came to occupy a peculiar niche in the musical world as it existed in those years -- although it wasn't really a jazz band, Brown's group employed enough elements of jazz, and enough high-quality soloists (and Brown seldom featured himself in the latter capacity, though he was a good player), that they were treated with a great deal of respect by jazz players and in the jazz journals of the period.
The next pivotal moment came in 1943 when Brown persuaded Doris Day, now divorced and raising a son (actually, future producer Terry Melcher), to return to the band. The result, in 1944, was one of the most enduring hits of World War II, "Sentimental Journey." It not only became one of the defining hits of the big-band era, but also Brown's signature tune (and, to a lesser degree, Day's signature tune) for the next 50 years, and even in the 21st century is totally identified with both of them. The song was written by Ben Homer, a composer and arranger who was also responsible for the various dance adaptations of classical works that Brown's band recorded. Brown spent most of the 1940s signed to Columbia Records, which was also the home of Doris Day as a solo act. Brown's career momentum was slowed only when the Second World War drew to a close, and he decided to spend more time with his wife and family, which meant giving up touring -- he'd had some excellent soloists in his band, including Abe Most and Ted Nash, but they soon began drifting away to other work once Brown settled down in Los Angeles.
In early 1947, Brown took on an extended engagement at the Hollywood Bowl, which resulted in his reactivating the band in a new incarnation, made up of freelancers -- he also discovered that there were enough truly high-caliber examples of the latter that the music didn't suffer at all. As a result of that engagement, he also picked up what proved to be the longest running gig of his career when he started working with Bob Hope. The association with Hope -- which resulted in Brown touring for many years in tandem with the legendary comedian's performances on behalf of American servicemen -- made it possible for the orchestra to stay together for many decades. The Dave Pell Octet, which was quite popular in the mid-'50s, was comprised of some of Brown's sidemen. In the late '50s, Brown became one of the founding members of the Recording Academy. Brown was signed to Capitol Records during this same period and enjoyed a fresh string of hit singles and successful LPs through the end of the decade -- such was his reputation that he was easily able to recruit top players (such a reedman Billy Usselton) for those later bands, and those Capitol recordings have found an enduring audience much as his earlier Columbia sides did. Additionally, his work with Hope helped to keep his name alive for several generations of television viewers, among others, well into the 1980s. Brown also occasionally toured throughout the last decades of his life, even performing within a year of his death on January 4, 2001, at the age of 88. His son, Les Brown, Jr., a musician who was primarily known as an actor, took over the Band of Renown during the 21st century and has kept it going since.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-brown-mn0000511773/biography
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Biografía de Scott Yanow
Líder de una banda de baile de primera clase orientada al jazz durante más de 60 años, la música de Les Brown nunca fue innovadora, pero en general fue bastante agradable. Brown nació en Reinerton, PA, en la familia de un panadero. Se inició en la música muy pronto, tomando el saxofón a los siete años con el fuerte estímulo de su padre, que tocaba el trombón. Sabía leer a vista antes de los diez años, y en ese momento tocaba junto a su padre en los bailes locales. Brown dejó la escuela secundaria después de un año, eligiendo en su lugar asistir al Conservatorio de Música de Ítaca, donde estudió teoría, armonía y composición. Pasó por la Academia Militar de Nueva York antes de aterrizar en la Universidad de Duke, donde se unió a los Duke Blue Devils, la banda de baile oficial de la universidad, en 1935. Su sonido se inspiró en la Orquesta de Casa Loma, que era entonces una de las bandas de baile más populares del país, especialmente entre el público universitario.
Brown hizo sus primeras grabaciones como miembro de los Blue Devils en 1936 para Decca, pero al año siguiente se separaron, ya que los miembros que aún eran estudiantes universitarios volvieron a la escuela. Brown se fue a Nueva York y pasó un año trabajando para Jimmy Dorsey, Isham Jones y Larry Clinton como arreglista. Su oportunidad de formar una nueva banda llegó en 1938 cuando un ejecutivo de la RCA le hizo una reserva en el Hotel Edison de Manhattan, si podía formar un grupo. Brown obtuvo un préstamo de su padre para poner en marcha la banda y pronto tuvo un grupo de 12 músicos tocando en el hotel. Una serie de emisiones de radio en directo de la banda pronto tuvo su reputación más allá de las filas de los clientes del hotel, y RCA Victor rápidamente los contrató para su sello Bluebird.
El grupo iba bien cuando se cerró la década de 1930, atrayendo a una saludable audiencia de baile y a una considerable cantidad de oyentes. Sus discos no eran los más ambiciosos del mundo - la mayoría versiones de estándares y éxitos de otras bandas, intercalados con un ocasional original de Les Brown - pero se vendieron lo suficientemente bien como para mantener a la industria discográfica interesada en ellos. A finales de los años 30, la mayoría de su sonido se construyó en conjunto, y mostraron un rico y completo tono que salió bien, tanto en persona y en el aire como en el disco. Brown insistía en un sonido pulido y preciso y el público parecía devorarlo. Pero a partir de 1940, empezó a alterar su sonido dejando espacio para que sus solistas trabajaran haciendo lo que mejor sabían hacer, y al público le gustaba aún más. Entonces contrató a su primera vocalista, una adolescente llamada Doris Day, que cantó con una profundidad y nivel de sofisticación muy superior a sus 17 años, y su popularidad se disparó. La primera estancia de Day en el grupo no fue larga, menos de un año, antes de que se fuera a casar. Su sustituta, Betty Bonney, estaba a bordo cuando la banda grabó una canción dedicada al fenómeno entonces vigente de la racha de éxitos de Joe DiMaggio: "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" se convirtió en su primer éxito en las listas de éxitos. Cuando el humo se disipó, la banda se encontró entre los diez grupos más populares del país.
Fue un programa de radio, "Spotlight Band", que inadvertidamente jugó un gran papel en su historia posterior. La banda de Les Brown apareció regularmente en el programa, que fue al servicio de las audiencias de todo el país (y los convirtió en favoritos permanentes de millones de hombres en uniforme). Pero fue un momento fortuito en 1942, cuando un locutor se refirió a ellos como "Les Brown & His Band of Renown", que resultó ser una clave para su futuro. La referencia sonaba muy bien, y se mantuvo, y se convirtió en el nombre permanente de la banda. Llegaron a ocupar un nicho peculiar en el mundo musical tal como existía en aquellos años - aunque no era realmente una banda de jazz, el grupo de Brown empleaba suficientes elementos de jazz, y suficientes solistas de alta calidad (y Brown rara vez se presentaba en esta última capacidad, aunque era un buen músico), que fueron tratados con mucho respeto por los músicos de jazz y en los diarios de jazz de la época.
El siguiente momento crucial llegó en 1943 cuando Brown persuadió a Doris Day, ahora divorciada y criando a un hijo (en realidad, el futuro productor Terry Melcher), para que volviera a la banda. El resultado, en 1944, fue uno de los éxitos más duraderos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, "Viaje Sentimental". No sólo se convirtió en uno de los éxitos definitorios de la era de las grandes bandas, sino también en la melodía característica de Brown (y, en menor grado, la melodía característica de Day) durante los siguientes 50 años, e incluso en el siglo XXI se identifica totalmente con ambas. La canción fue escrita por Ben Homer, un compositor y arreglista que también fue responsable de las diversas adaptaciones para danza de obras clásicas que la banda de Brown grabó. Brown pasó la mayor parte de la década de 1940 firmando con Columbia Records, que también fue el hogar de Doris Day como solista. El impulso de la carrera de Brown se frenó sólo cuando la Segunda Guerra Mundial llegó a su fin, y decidió pasar más tiempo con su esposa y su familia, lo que significó renunciar a las giras - había tenido algunos excelentes solistas en su banda, incluyendo a Abe Most y Ted Nash, pero pronto comenzaron a alejarse hacia otros trabajos una vez que Brown se estableció en Los Ángeles.
A principios de 1947, Brown asumió un compromiso prolongado en el Hollywood Bowl, lo que resultó en la reactivación de la banda en una nueva encarnación, formada por independientes - también descubrió que había suficientes ejemplos verdaderamente de alto calibre de estos últimos para que la música no sufriera en absoluto. Como resultado de ese compromiso, también tomó lo que resultó ser el concierto más largo de su carrera cuando comenzó a trabajar con Bob Hope. La asociación con Hope - que resultó en una gira de Brown durante muchos años en conjunto con las actuaciones del legendario comediante en nombre de los militares estadounidenses - hizo posible que la orquesta permaneciera unida durante muchas décadas. El Octeto de Dave Pell, que fue muy popular a mediados de los 50, estaba compuesto por algunos de los músicos de Brown. A finales de los 50, Brown se convirtió en uno de los miembros fundadores de la Academia de la Grabación. Brown firmó con Capitol Records durante este mismo período y disfrutó de una nueva serie de exitosos singles y exitosos LPs hasta el final de la década - tal fue su reputación que fue capaz de reclutar fácilmente a los mejores músicos (como el cantante de caña Billy Usselton) para esas bandas posteriores, y esas grabaciones de Capitol han encontrado un público duradero, como lo hicieron sus primeros equipos de Columbia. Además, su trabajo con Hope ayudó a mantener su nombre vivo para varias generaciones de televidentes, entre otros, hasta bien entrados los años 80. Brown también realizó ocasionalmente giras en las últimas décadas de su vida, incluso actuando en el año siguiente a su muerte, el 4 de enero de 2001, a la edad de 88 años. Su hijo, Les Brown, Jr., un músico conocido principalmente como actor, se hizo cargo de la banda de renombre durante el siglo XXI y la ha mantenido en funcionamiento desde entonces.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/les-brown-mn0000511773/biography
A1 - Clouds -
A2 - Ill Wind -
A3 - Rain -
A4 - Lost In A Fog -
A5 - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! -
A6 - Stormy Weather -
B1 - Over The Rainbow -
B2 - Blue Skies -
B3 - Azure -
B4 - Heat Wave -
B5 - The Moon Was Yellow -
B6 - You Are My Sunshine
Label: Coral – LVA 9026, Vogue – LVA 9026
Series: Coral Series –
Released: 1956
Genre: Jazz
A2 - Ill Wind -
A3 - Rain -
A4 - Lost In A Fog -
A5 - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! -
A6 - Stormy Weather -
B1 - Over The Rainbow -
B2 - Blue Skies -
B3 - Azure -
B4 - Heat Wave -
B5 - The Moon Was Yellow -
B6 - You Are My Sunshine
Label: Coral – LVA 9026, Vogue – LVA 9026
Series: Coral Series –
Released: 1956
Genre: Jazz
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