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Les Jr. entered the
music and entertainment world at the tender age of 15 when he spent his
summer vacations on the road with his father’s famous "Band of
Renown" as a drummer. In 1960, after leaving Duke University, Les
joined the band full time as the "boy singer".
ACTOR
By 1962, Les Jr. turned to his other passion in life – acting – and
worked both freelance and under contract for CBS and ABC TV, appearing in
over 200 segments of various situation comedies and dramas. In 1964 he
starred with Paul Ford and Judy Carne in the series "The Bailey’s
of Balboa" and later spent two years on the daytime drama "The
Young Marrieds" and "General Hospital."
RECORD PRODUCER
Six years later, Les Jr. switched his career back to the music business
when he became Head of Production for International Management Combine (IMC).
In that position he produced and oversaw the production of many albums
from soundtracks to pop for all the major labels. IMC also started its own
label at that time and Les produced and /or oversaw of all IMC's albums.
COUNTRY MUSIC CONCERT PROMOTER?
In 1973, Les Jr. became president of Gold Dust Productions, Inc. producing
record albums and concert tours for major artists. He was responsible for
bringing many of the world’s top pop musical acts such as Loggins and
Messina to Las Vegas. At the same time, he
worked as a consultant to Bob Eubanks’ company, Concert Express, which
booked major country music stars, such as Dolly Parton, Loretta
Lynn, and
Merle Haggard, into big arena tours throughout America.
BACK TO THE BAND OF RENOWN
In 1987, Les Jr. rejoined the Band of Renown as the "boy singer"
and assistant leader as well as overseeing the production of their
recordings. While going through the archives, Les discovered a series of
previously unreleased tapes, recorded live at the Hollywood Palladium in
the early fifties. These recordings, some of the first live stereo
recordings (actually binaural), featured Les Sr., Harry James
and The Music Makers and The Larry Elgart Band. The recordings were sold via an infomercial developed and produced by Les Jr., shot on
location at the Hollywood Palladium and featuring Les Jr. and Les Sr. 
TV PRODUCER
Les Jr. enjoyed a second career producing variety and reality
television shows such as "Swing Alive" (a 2 hour PBS special
and CD
starring Bob Hope, Hal Linden, Sheena Easton, Suzanne Somers, Tex
Beneke, Royal Crowne Revue, Brian Setzer and others celebrating Les Sr.’s
60th year as the leader of the Band Of Renown.), "Bob
Hope, Hollywood’s Brightest Star" (also for PBS), "Titanic" (a nationally syndicated
special), and many others. In 2000, Les Jr. assembled an all-star team of singers, musicians and
engineers to produce Session
55, his father's last record. Les Brown Sr. left the stage
for the last time on January 4, 2001.
A NEW HOME IN BRANSON
In 2004, Les Jr. and the Band moved from Los Angeles to their new home in
Branson (the Beverly Hillbillies in reverse?). They are now in their
second season as Branson's only big band and are attracting visitors from
across the USA.
STILL ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS
Beginning with their work with Bob Hope and the USO, veterans have been
important to the Band of Renown. Les Jr. continues this tradition and is
an active participant in Branson veteran's community. Last Fall, Les and
the Band provided the entertainment for the Opening
Ceremonies Show for the Veteran's Homecoming Week. Les is a board
member of the Veteran's Task Force and received the 'Ambassador of
Patriotism' award from the POW Network. In June 2005, Les and the Band
will perform in the Viet Nam Homecoming event in Branson.
ON THE AIR
Les Jr. hosts a daily radio show on the Music Of Your Life radio network.
His weekday morning drive-time shows and Sunday evening show combine his
favorite songs with the "behind the scenes" stories that bring
the music to life. You can listen to Les in Branson on KOMT, 107.5FM and
on over 100 over MYL
stations across the USA.
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