Les Baxter

Genres:	Action & Adventure • Classic Exploitation • Comedy • Drama • Easy Listening • Horror • Jazz • Musicals & The Arts • Mystery / Thriller • Pop / Rock • Sci-Fi / Fantasy • Soundtracks • War • Westerns
Descriptive "tags":	exotica • lounge • easy listening • jazz • space age pop • instrumental
Decades Active:	1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1990s • 2000s
Links online:	Official Homepage

Biography

14 March 1922, Mexia, Texas, USA, d. 15 January 1996, Palm Springs, California, USA. Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist he turned to popular music as a singer, and at the age of 23 he joined Mel Tormé’s Mel-Tones, singing on Artie Shaw records such as ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’. He then turned to arranging and conducting for Capitol Records in 1950 and was responsible for the early Nat ‘King’ Cole hits, ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘Too Young’. In 1953 he scored his first movie, the sailing travelogue Tanga Tika. With his own orchestra he released a number of hits including ‘Ruby’ (1953), ‘Unchained Melody’ (1955) and ‘The Poor People Of Paris’ (1956). He also achieved success with concept albums of his own orchestral suites, Le Sacre Du Sauvage, Festival Of The...

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