Les had started by studying at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music and later led the Duke Blue Devils Band in North Carolina who recorded for Decca during the depression of the 1930's. After college Les found work in NYC leading a group who played at the Edison Hotel and were simulcast on NBC radio which lead to a contract with Victor subsidiary Bluebird. Soon they scored a young female singer who'd defected from Bob Crosby's band named Doris Day, but she soon left to get married.
Les got a break in 1941 with a novelty track about a NY Yankee baseball star called "Joltin Joe DiMaggio". They were broadcasting nearly 7 days a week from gigs in Long Island and Chicago when the outbreak of world war II slowed their progress with many band members drafted.
In 1943, Doris Day returned after divorcing her husband and when the recording ban ended they scored a hit with a track called Sentimental Journey, which became the perfect theme song for all of the young men returning home from the war.The Number One song in the country for some sixteen weeks,‘Sentimental Journey,’ stayed on the Hit Parade for months, and has since become an undeniable standard in the lexicon of the American popular song.
Les Brown relocated the band to Los Angeles after the war in 1945, centering their presence via regularly broadcast shows at the then very hot, Hollywood Palladium.
By 1947, Les had hooked up with number 1 box office draw Bob Hope, and in 1949 they brought movie starlet Doris Day back into the touring act. Les had the Number One instrumental tune in the country with ‘Love To Keep Me Warm,’ and Doris Day had the Number One vocal tune with ‘It’s Magic.’ They all went on a national concert tour that broke sales records wherever it landed.
When the Korean conflict broke out in 1950, Brown accopnaied Bob Hope on his first of 18 USO Christmas tours that would take Hollywood entertainment to the men on the front lines.
With the advent of television and the idling of the big band circuit, Brown eased off relentless touring in the 50's and early 60's. They appeared on numerous variety programs including the Ed Sullivan Show, The Steve Allen Show for a couple years and notably became the regular backing orchestra on the Dean Martin tv show for some 7 years beginning in 1961. Brown was also instrumental in bringing the Grammy awards to television for the first time ever, calling upon friends like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby to perform on the first telecast.
He was recognized in 1996 by the Guinness Book of World Records for the distinction of being the leader of the longest-lasting musical organization in the history of pop music.
His final album recorded in 2000 at Capitol studios in Hollywood was called Session 55[/labum] (his 55th studio project), and featured guest vocalists Jane Monheit and Lou Rawls.
The group kept going under Les Brown's leadership until Brown's eventual death at age 88 from lung cancer on Jan. 4, 2001. "The world has lost a great musician," mourned Bob Hope in a public statement, "I have lost my music man, my sideman, my straight man, and a special friend."
Fear not music fans, the group continues to perform and record some 65 years since their inception under the leadership of Les Brown Jr.
http://www.lesbrownsbandofrenown.com
Ramona
Les Brown & His Band Of Renown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the mountains high
Seem to kiss the sky
Someone is out yonder, o'er the hills
Waiting patiently, Waiting just for me
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
Ramona I need you my own
Let's wander out yonder o'er the hills
By a babbling brook
Where we'll find a nook
To build our own love nest, o'er the hills
Darling of my heart, Never more to part
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
I press you, caress you, and bless the day you taught me to care
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
Ramona I need you my own
The song Ramona by Les Brown & His Band Of Renown is a romantic and wistful ballad that tells the story of a man wandering through the hills, searching for his beloved Ramona. He describes the beauty of the mountains and imagines Ramona waiting patiently for him somewhere in the distance. The sounds of the mission bells ringing out their song of love give him hope that they will be reunited.
He speaks directly to Ramona, praising her for teaching him to care and always remembering the rambling rose she wears in her hair. He promises to meet her beside the waterfall and build their own love nest, never to part again. However, he also expresses his fear of waking up to find her gone, emphasizing the urgency of his need for her.
Overall, the lyrics of Ramona convey a sense of longing and yearning for love and companionship. It paints a picture of a beautiful, romantic landscape and a deep connection between the two lovers.
Line by Line Meaning
I wander out yonder o'er the hills
I travel out there beyond the horizon, over the hills
Where the mountains high
Where the tall peaks of the mountains
Seem to kiss the sky
Appear to touch the heavens
Someone is out yonder, o'er the hills
There is someone waiting beyond the mountains
Waiting patiently, Waiting just for me
They wait patiently for me alone
Ramona, I hear the mission bells above
Ramona, the sound of church bells rings above me
Ramona, they're ringing out our song of love
The bells ring out the melody of our love song
I press you, caress you, and bless the day you taught me to care
I hold you closely, lovingly, and am forever grateful for the day you taught me to love
To always remember the rambling rose you wear in your hair
To never forget the wild rose that adorns your hair
Ramona, when day is done you'll hear my call
Ramona, at the end of the day you will hear my voice
Ramona, we'll meet beside the water fall
Ramona, we will reunite next to the cascading waterfall
I dread the dawn when I awake to find you gone
I fear the morning when I will wake up and find you have left
Ramona I need you my own
Ramona, I need you to be mine
Let's wander out yonder o'er the hills
Let's go out there beyond the horizon, over the hills
By a babbling brook
Next to a murmuring stream
Where we'll find a nook
Where we will discover a cozy corner
To build our own love nest, o'er the hills
To create our own love nest there, beyond the mountains
Darling of my heart, Never more to part
You are the beloved of my heart, we will never be separated
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: L. Wolfe Gilbert, Mabel Wayne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind