![]() ![]() They also played on other TV shows, on cruise ships and at conventions, festivals and other special events, maintaining a reputation for high-level musicianship. Brown and the band made 18 overseas Christmas tours with Hope. It continued into the television age and went on for decades until health problems curtailed the comedian's career. The association with Hope began in 1947 on the radio. By one account, he adopted its memorably euphonic name after an announcer used it during a broadcast from a hotel in Washington. After working as a freelance arranger for such names as Jimmy Dorsey and Isham Jones, Mr. But, as his brother recalled it, parents of the other band members wanted their offspring to return to campus to get their degrees. Brown toured the East Coast with his Duke Blue Devils. Brown worked his way through Duke University by doing the arranging for a band during his first two years and leading it his last two.Īfter he graduated, Mr. As a college student, his brother said, Mr. Brown's formal musical education began at the Ithaca (N.Y.) Conservatory of Music, and he also studied at the New York Military Academy. "He taught all of us" until there was no more the children could learn from him, Clyde Brown said. His father was a baker and an amateur musician. Lester Raymond Brown was born March 14, 1912, in Reinerton, Pa. 15, at Citrus Community College, in Glendora, Calif.Īccording to Clyde Brown, the Band of Renown is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-surviving organization in popular music. Brown's last appearance with the group was Oct. His brother, Clyde "Stumpy" Brown, a trombonist and business manager for the band, said Mr. Brown abandoned his instrument relatively early, but he continued to lead his group of 17 to 20 until last year. He was known as one of the foremost exponents of swing. He began his career in the Depression and the days of ballroom dancing. Brown was a clarinet player as well as a conductor. Soft and dreamy, it seemed perfectly suited to be the melodic backdrop to the homeward voyages of millions of servicemen. It was written during World War II and recorded by Doris Day. Brown was a co-author of "Sentimental Journey," the band's greatest hit. 5 at his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., relatives said. Les Brown, 88, the leader of the Band of Renown, which played for years on television with Bob Hope and was one of the best-known and longest-surviving ensembles of the Big Band Era, died of lung cancer Jan. ![]()
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