The First Band During the 1940s Les was a member of bands led by
Raymond Scott,
Charlie Spivak, and
Harry James, occasionally finding himself alongside brother Larry. They formed their own orchestra in 1945, hiring
Nelson Riddle,
Ralph Flanagan, and
Bill Finegan to write arrangements. The band signed with General Amusement Corporation for bookings, and in May 1945, made recordings in New York City at a
V-Disc session. None of these were issued, however. :This was a "
sweet band" generally, and far removed from their swing style of a decade later. The band had a familiar Glenn Miller touch to its sound, only a slower tempo. In mid-1946, Les signed with
Musicraft Records but the recordings never made the hit parade. In October 1946, the band recorded a performance for
Lang-Worth Transcriptions for radio broadcast. The band performed at venues in New York and northern New Jersey for the next two years, and recorded two singles for Bullet Records in March 1948. With the post-World War II decline in popularity of the big bands of the 30s and 40s, the Les Elgart Orchestra disbanded, and between 1949 and 1952, Les freelanced on record dates, worked in pick-up bands, and contracted for a few singers. ‘’Sophisticated Swing,’’ the band’s first album, was released that year. It enjoyed immediate success. The Elgart ensemble was lauded as "a new band with a handsome sound and smart arrangements." The band came from nowhere to third place in the 1954
DownBeat Magazine popularity poll, behind the
Les Brown Band and the
Ray Anthony Orchestra. Elgart displaced Anthony for second place in 1955 and again in 1956. Over the next three years, the band released a half dozen albums and enjoyed success on tour, with many appearances on college campuses. The band's unique blend of brass and reeds became known as “The Elgart Sound.” The best selling albums were "The Elgart Touch" (1956) and "For Dancers Also" (1957), both of which reached the Top 15 on the LP charts. Among the band's popular tunes was "
Bandstand Boogie", which was used by
Dick Clark as the theme song for the ABC-TV dance show
American Bandstand. In 1960, the band won the
Cashbox Magazine award as the Most Programmed Band by America's Disc Jockeys, and the
Billboard Magazine award as "America’s Favorite Band 1960 Outstanding Achievement in Recorded Music.” By the end of the decade, Les quit performing, preferring to handle the business aspects of the band. Les Elgart lived in Chicago for several years, and Santa Monica and Hollywood Hills on the West Coast. He returned to Chicago, then relocated to Miami, and San Antonio, Texas. Les continued to work until his death on July 29, 1995, from heart failure, in Dallas, Texas, at age 77. ==Discography==