Brown was born in
Reinerton, Pennsylvania. Brown attended college at
Duke University from 1932 to 1936. The band had nine other number-one hit songs, including "
I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (1949). Les Brown and the Band of Renown performed with
Bob Hope on radio, stage and television for almost fifty years. Brown and 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 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 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.
Les Brown Jr. In 2001,
Les Brown Jr. (1940–2023), became the full-time leader of the Band of Renown. It performed throughout 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 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. ==Discography==