Les Brown was born in Reinerton, PA (near Tower City) in 1912. His father, the town baker, was an amateur musician who conducted performances for the local coal miners. Les went to music school in Ithaca, NY, then North Carolina, and finally settled in New York City where he and his Band of Renown became famous in hotels, nightclubs, and through recordings. Les Brown died on January 4, 2001.

This text excerpted from a recent New York Times obituary on Les Brown.