Les Brown and His Orchestra - more commonly known as Les Brown and His Band of Renown - was originally formed in the mid-1930s by saxophonist and clarinetist Les Brown (born on March 14, 1912, in Reinerton, Pennsylvania). Graduating from the New York Military Academy in 1932, Les Brown attended Duke University in 1932, forming his first group, His Blue Devils, during his time there. When he graduated in 1936, he took the band on tour during the summer that year. After the tour, some of the band left the group to continue their studies while the others stayed with Les Brown and continued to tour and perform. After adding more band members and building a solid reputation as a live group, the band became known as Les Brown and His Band of Renown in 1938. They performed on many radio shows, and recorded a series of Les Brown’s songs that defined the era including "Dance of the Blue Devils,” "Trylon Stomp,” "Duckfoot Waddle,” "Plumber's Revenge,” "My Number One Dream Come True,” and others. Les Brown’s most popular song was 1945’s “Sentimental Journey,” a song that he co-wrote and recorded with Doris Day on vocals. The song, which kickstarted Doris Day’s career, became the unofficial homecoming theme for war veterans and remains one of the era’s most recognizable songs. Les Brown and his group performed with many iconic performers including Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald. Les Brown and the group also performed with Bob Hope for nearly 50 years, appearing on radio, television, and performed on eighteen of Hope’s USO tours. The group also appeared in several motion pictures including Jerry Lewis’ The Nutty Professor (1963). They also served as the house band on the Steve Allen Show (1959-1961) and the Dean Martin Show (1965-1972). Les Brown led his group until his death on January 4, 2001. His son, Les Brown Jr., took over the band in tribute to his father.
