Les Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was an American musician and… Read Full Bio ↴Les Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was an American musician and composer.
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. 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?".
Baxter then turned to arranging and conducting for Capitol Records in 1950, and was credited with the early Nat King Cole hits, "Mona Lisa" and "Too Young", but both were actually orchestrated by Nelson Riddle.[1] (In later releases of the recordings the credit was corrected to Riddle.[citation needed]) Not a uncommon practice these days: Baxter himself had arranged Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" in 1947 for a recording conducted by Frank De Vol. In 1953 he scored his first film, 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). The latter recording sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[2]He also achieved success with concept albums of his own orchestral suites: Le Sacre Du Sauvage, Festival Of The Gnomes, Ports Of Pleasure, and Brazil Now, the first three for Capitol and the fourth on Gene Norman's Crescendo label. The list of musicians on these recordings includes Plas Johnson and Clare Fischer.
Baxter also wrote the "Whistle" theme from the TV show Lassie.
Baxter did not restrict his activities to recording. As he once told Soundtrack! magazine, "I never turn anything down".
In the 1960s, he formed the Balladeers, a besuited and conservative folk group that at one time featured a young David Crosby.[citation needed] He operated in radio as musical director of The Halls of Ivy and the Bob Hope and Abbott and Costello shows.
Like his counterparts Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin and James Horner, Baxter later worked for the film industries from 1960s to 70s. He worked on movie soundtracks for American International Pictures where he composed and conducted scores for Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films and other horror stories and teenage musicals, including The Pit and the Pendulum, Panic in Year Zero!, Beach Party, The Comedy of Terrors,The Dunwich Horror, and Frogs. Howard W. Koch recalled that Baxter composed, orchestrated, and recorded the entire score of The Yellow Tomahawk (1954) in a total of three hours for $5,000.[3]
With less soundtrack work in the 1980s, he scored music for theme parks and SeaWorlds. In the 1990s, Baxter was widely celebrated, alongside Martin Denny and the Arthur Lyman Group, as one of the progenitors of what had become known as the "exotica" movement. In his 1996 appreciation for Wired magazine, writer David Toop remembered Baxter thus:
"Baxter offered package tours in sound, selling tickets to sedentary tourists who wanted to stroll around some taboo emotions before lunch, view a pagan ceremony, go wild in the sun or conjure a demon, all without leaving home hi-fi comforts in the white suburbs".
Baxter has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6314 Hollywood Blvd.
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. 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?".
Baxter then turned to arranging and conducting for Capitol Records in 1950, and was credited with the early Nat King Cole hits, "Mona Lisa" and "Too Young", but both were actually orchestrated by Nelson Riddle.[1] (In later releases of the recordings the credit was corrected to Riddle.[citation needed]) Not a uncommon practice these days: Baxter himself had arranged Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" in 1947 for a recording conducted by Frank De Vol. In 1953 he scored his first film, 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). The latter recording sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[2]He also achieved success with concept albums of his own orchestral suites: Le Sacre Du Sauvage, Festival Of The Gnomes, Ports Of Pleasure, and Brazil Now, the first three for Capitol and the fourth on Gene Norman's Crescendo label. The list of musicians on these recordings includes Plas Johnson and Clare Fischer.
Baxter also wrote the "Whistle" theme from the TV show Lassie.
Baxter did not restrict his activities to recording. As he once told Soundtrack! magazine, "I never turn anything down".
In the 1960s, he formed the Balladeers, a besuited and conservative folk group that at one time featured a young David Crosby.[citation needed] He operated in radio as musical director of The Halls of Ivy and the Bob Hope and Abbott and Costello shows.
Like his counterparts Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin and James Horner, Baxter later worked for the film industries from 1960s to 70s. He worked on movie soundtracks for American International Pictures where he composed and conducted scores for Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films and other horror stories and teenage musicals, including The Pit and the Pendulum, Panic in Year Zero!, Beach Party, The Comedy of Terrors,The Dunwich Horror, and Frogs. Howard W. Koch recalled that Baxter composed, orchestrated, and recorded the entire score of The Yellow Tomahawk (1954) in a total of three hours for $5,000.[3]
With less soundtrack work in the 1980s, he scored music for theme parks and SeaWorlds. In the 1990s, Baxter was widely celebrated, alongside Martin Denny and the Arthur Lyman Group, as one of the progenitors of what had become known as the "exotica" movement. In his 1996 appreciation for Wired magazine, writer David Toop remembered Baxter thus:
"Baxter offered package tours in sound, selling tickets to sedentary tourists who wanted to stroll around some taboo emotions before lunch, view a pagan ceremony, go wild in the sun or conjure a demon, all without leaving home hi-fi comforts in the white suburbs".
Baxter has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6314 Hollywood Blvd.
Maracangalha
Les Baxter and His Orchestra Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Maracangalha' by these artists:
Dorival Caymmi Eu vou pra Maracangalha eu vou Eu vou de uniforme branco…
Dorival Caymmi & Antônio Carlos Jobim Eu vou só Eu vou só Eu vou só Eu vou só Eu vou…
Dorival Caymmi & Quarteto Em Cy Eu vou só Eu vou só Eu vou só Eu vou só Eu vou…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Les Baxter and His Orchestra:
A Day In Rio Whadda they do on a rainy night in Rio? Whadda they…
A White Sport Coat A white sport coat and a pink carnation I'm all dressed…
Adios cdios muchachos, compañeros de mi vida, Barra querida de aqu…
Ain't That a Shame Though folks with good intentions Tell me to save my tears W…
Ay Ay Ay Out on the plains down near Santa fe I met a…
Because of You Because of you there's a song in my heart Because of…
Blue Monday It's gone and started rainin', I'm as lonesome as a…
Blue Tango Here am I with you in a world of blue And…
Catch a Falling Star Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket Never…
Don't Forbid Me Don't-a forbid me to hold you tight Darling, Don't Forbid…
Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes Don't let the stars get in your eyes Don't let the…
Gigi Gigi, am I a fool without a mind Or have I…
I Love Paris When days are long and nights are lonely And all my…
I Want You I Need You I Love You I've got you under my skin. I've got you deep in…
Joy Fare thee well, land of cotton Cotton lisle is out of…
Jungle River Boat Here we all work 'long the Mississippi Here we all work…
Little White Lies The moon was all aglow But heaven was in your eyes The…
Long Tall Sally Gonna tell Aunt Mary about Uncle John He claimed he had…
Lord What a Morning What's your story, morning glory What makes you look so blue…
Lost In Meditation I am lost in meditation And my reverie Brings you back to…
Love Dance I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time In…
Make Love to Me (Ba-boom-boom-boom-boom Ba-boom-boom-boom-boom Ba-boom) (Ba…
Mine This love of mine goes on and on Though life is…
Miss You It happened I felt it happened I was awake I wasn't blind I …
My Buddy Life is a book that we study, Some of its leaves…
Nevertheless I knew the time had to come When I'd be held…
Noche I've been living with a shadow overhead I've been sleeping w…
Rio Whadda they do on a rainy night in Rio? Whadda they…
Ruby They say, Ruby you're like a dream Not always what…
Sabre Dance My heart begins to tingle when the bells begin to…
Santa Claus Party Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus Right down Sa…
Saturday Night On Saturn Saturday night is the loneliest night in the week 'Cause tha…
Shake Rattle and Roll Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and…
Somewhere in Space Somewhere in the night There must be someone for me Somewher…
Song From "Moulin Rouge" When ever we kiss, I worry and wonder. Your lips may be…
Sophisticated Lady They say into your early life romance came And in this…
Speak Low Speak low when you speak, love, Our summer day withers away …
Tell Me Margarita Tell me why, though I try to forget Tell me why,…
Temptation You came, I was alone I should have known you were…
Terror The days of wine and roses laugh and run away…
The City I went to donkey city To exercise me donkey And me donkey…
The High and the Mighty I was high and mighty, How I laughed at love And the…
The Nearness of You Its not the pale moon that excites me That thrills and…
Thinking of You Because I still get a thrill thinking of you And I…
Unchained Melody Oh, my love, my darling, I've hungered for your touch a…
Vieni Vieni Viene su, viene su, viene Come along through the years with…
Wake the Town and Tell the People Wake the Town and Tell the People Johnny Mathis Music by Jer…
Why Do Fools Fall in Love As long as you're not in love with anyone else, Why…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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