Les Baxter: b. March 14, 1922, Mexia Texas; d. January 15, 1996, Newport Beach, CA"Sometimes I can not get over the fact that my records still make money," joked Les Baxter from his Newport Beach, California home in 1993, "When the band got together for those recordings we hoped it would bring some immediate response and pleasure. We had no idea those songs would be requested in high school gym dances some 50 years later!"
The ever humorous Baxter lead a series of orchestras in the 1950's and '60's, recording a host of million selling instrumentals including, "I Love Paris," "Blue Tango," and "April in Portugal." Baxter conducted other bands that performed with such singers as Nat King Cole, Bob Eberly and Mel Torme.
{Trivia: Les Baxter was not only a member of Torme's back up group, the Mel-Tones, he also was part of the vocal quartet lead by Frank DeVol that recorded the Capital hit, "Love Letters in the Sand."}
In later years he helped popularize a Latin-American style which featured jungle drums. Baxter composed more than 250 scores for radio, TV and movies, his songs include, "Sunshine at Kowloon," "Shooting Star," and "La Sacre du Sauvage."
One of Les Baxter's first jobs on radio was as musical arranger for Bob Hope. When asked about his first job Baxter replied, "Luckily for me, no one can take those memories away. Making music is all I ever wanted to do and some bum wanted to pay me on top of it!"
Above notes by Mr. Dan DelFiorentino
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