Lester Raymond "Les" Brown

 Lester Raymond "Les" Brown, Sr. (March 14, 1912 – January 4, 2001)

He was best known for his nearly seven decades of work with the big band Les Brown and His Band of Renown (1938–2001). The Band of Renown began in the late 1930's, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils, led by Brown while he was a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The band now performs under the direction of his son, Les Brown, Jr. Les Brown and the Band of Renown performed with Bob Hope on radio, stage and television for almost fifty years. They did 18 USO Tours for American troops around the world, and entertained over three million people. Before the Super Bowls were televised, the Bob Hope Christmas Specials were the highest-rated programs in television history. Tony Bennett was "discovered" by Bob Hope and did his first public performance with Brown and the Band. The first film that Brown and the band appeared in was Seven Days' Leave starring Victor Mature and Lucille Ball. Rock-A-Billy Baby, a low-budget 1957 film, was the Band of Renown's second and in 1963, they appeared in the Jerry Lewis' comedy The Nutty Professor playing their theme song "Leapfrog". Brown and the Band were also the house band for The Steve Allen Show (1959–1961) and the Dean Martin Variety Show (1965–1972). Les Brown Sr. died of lung cancer in 2001, and is interred at Westwood Memorial Park.