Leslie Thompson Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, and musician. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

music, known as

exotica Exotica is a musical genre that was popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s with Americans who came of age during World War II. The term was coined by Simon "Si" Waronker, Liberty Records co-founder and board chairman, named after the 1957 Mart ...

and scored over 250 radio, television and motion pictures numbers.

Early life

Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory of Music before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. From 1943 on he played tenor and baritone saxophone for the

Freddie Slack Frederick Charles Slack (August 7, 1910 – August 10, 1965) was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader. Life and career Slack was born in Westby, Wisconsin, United States. He learned to play drums as a boy. Later he took ...

big band. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer. At the age of 23 he joined

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arrangement, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roa ...

Mel-Tones The Mel-Tones was an American vocal group of the 1940s and 1950s, formed and led by Mel Tormé. They are sometimes credited as The Meltones. The Mel-Tones appeared on several radio programs and released several records on their own, and also as t ...

, singing on

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

records such as " What Is This Thing Called Love?"

Career

Baxter then turned to arranging and conducting for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

in 1950, and conducted the orchestra in two early

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

hits, "

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...

" and " Too Young". He also recorded

Yma Sumac Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo (born Zoila Emperatriz Chávarri Castillo; September 13, 1922 – November 1, 2008), known as Yma Sumac (or Imma Sumack), was a Peruvian singer. She won a Guinness World Records, Guinness World Re ...

's first album: "Voice of the Xtabay", which can be considered one of the first recordings of

. In 1951 he made the original recording of " Quiet Village" which years later became a hit for

Martin Denny Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 – March 2, 2005) was an American pianist, composer, and arranger. Known as the "father of exotica," he was a multi-instrumentalist and could play a number of percussion instruments. In a long career that saw him per ...

. In 1953 he scored his first movie, the sailing travelogue ''Tanga Tika''. With his own orchestra, he released a number of hits including "

Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...

" (1953), "

Unchained Melody "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film '' Unchained'' (1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack.Robert ...

" (1955), and " The Poor People of Paris" (1956), and is remembered for a version of " Sinner Man" (1956), definitively setting the sound with varying tempos, orchestral flourishes, and wailing background vocals. "Unchained Melody" was the first million seller for Baxter and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. "The Poor People of Paris" also sold over one million copies. 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 Gene Norman (born January 30, 1922) was a nightclub owner, music promoter, record label owner, radio disc jockey, and television host. He purchased the The Crescendo in 1954 in West Hollywood where he booked jazz artists including Ella Fitzgeral ...

's Crescendo label. The list of musicians on these recordings includes

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. () (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s " The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and bar ...

and

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorat ...

. In the 1960s, he formed Les Baxter's Balladeers, a conservative folk group in suits that at one time featured a young

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelic music, psych ...

. Later he used some of the same singers from that group for a studio project called The Forum. They had a minor hit in 1967 with their song " The River Is Wide" which implemented the

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

technique originally developed by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

. He worked in radio as musical director of ''

The Halls of Ivy ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' and the

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

and

Abbott and Costello Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo composed of comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in t ...

shows. Baxter worked in films in the 1960s and 1970s. He worked on movie scores for B-movie studio

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

where he composed scores for

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

films and other horror and beach party films including '' House of Usher'', '' The Pit and the Pendulum'', ''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a visit ...

'', '' Muscle Beach Party'' and '' Beach Blanket Bingo''. He also composed a new score for the theatrical release of the 1970 horror film '' Cry of the Banshee'' after AIP rejected Wilfred Josephs's original one. 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. When soundtrack work fell off in the 1980s, he scored music for theme parks such as

SeaWorld SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by United Parks & Resorts. The parks host shows st ...

. Baxter died in Newport Beach, California at the age of 73. He was buried at Pacific View Memorial Park, in Corona del Mar, California.

Controversy

According to Milt Bernhart,

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...

was a ghostwriter for Baxter when Baxter was working for Nat King Cole, although while Baxter was working and was credited as a conductor for Nat King Cole, he never was officially credited as a composer or arranger. Bernhart states that Riddle told him that Baxter did not write the material on his exotica albums. Bernhart states that, while working for Baxter on recording a score for a Roger Corman film, it was apparent that Baxter could not conduct competently and "couldn't read the scores." According to Bernhart, "Someone else had written he music" But Baxter went on to write symphonies for the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

and guest conduct at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

. Nelson Riddle held a grudge against Baxter for supposedly taking credit for Riddle's arrangements on two Nat King Cole hit recordings. According to

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

, when collaborating once with Baxter, in the time Previn and Riddle had finished their parts, Baxter had written just one bar for woodwinds and included a note for the oboe that does not exist on the instrument. Gene Lees states that the exotica albums were written by Albert Harris and the material recorded with Yma Sumac was written by

Pete Rugolo Pietro Rugolo (December 25, 1915 – October 16, 2011), known professionally as Pete Rugolo, was an American jazz composer, arranger, and record producer. Life and career Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily. His family emigrated to the ...

. According to Rugolo, he was paid $50 per arrangement to ghost for Les Baxter and that he "did a whole album with Yma Sumac". In a 1981 interview with ''Soundtrack'' magazine, Baxter said that these sorts of statements were the results of a smear campaign by a disgruntled orchestrator. According to Baxter, this resulted in Baxter being denied the chance to score for a major motion picture. The job went instead to Baxter's friend

Bronisław Kaper Bronisław Kaper (; February 5, 1902 – April 26, 1983) was a Polish film composer who scored films and musical theater in Germany, France, and the USA. The American immigration authorities misspelled his name as Bronislau Kaper. He was also v ...

. Baxter said that he would give his compositions to orchestrators to arrange in order to cope with his hectic schedule. Baxter's frequent conductor and orchestrator Hall Daniels also said the criticisms were the result of "sour grapes" by people who held a grudge against Baxter for one reason or another. Skip Heller spent time working for and studying under Baxter where he witnessed various score sheets of original Baxter compositions, including

's "Xtabay" and "Tumpa". According to Heller, they were all in Baxter's own handwriting. Furthermore, the Les Baxter papers, which are housed at the University of Arizona, show a significant number of arrangements in his own hand.Baxter, Les. "Earthlight." The Les Baxter Collection. University of Arizona School of Music. Web.

Awards

Baxter has a motion picture star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 6314 Hollywood Blvd.

Selected filmography

*'' The Black Sleep'' (1956) *'' Rebel in Town'' (1956) * '' Wetbacks'' (1956) *'' A Woman's Devotion'' (1956) *'' Voodoo Island'' (1957) *'' Pharaoh's Curse'' (1957) *'' Untamed Youth'' (1957) *'' The Invisible Boy'' (1957) *''

The Dalton Girls ''The Dalton Girls'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Reginald Le Borg and starring Merry Anders, Lisa Davis, Penny Edwards, Sue George and John Russell. Plot Two men on horseback are fleeing a posse. Pistol shots are exchanged an ...

'' (1957) *''

The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold ''The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold'' is a 1958 American Western film in Eastmancolor released by United Artists. The second of two theatrical features specifically based on and continuing the TV show ''The Lone Ranger'' it stars Clayto ...

'' (1958) *''

The Fiend Who Walked the West ''The Fiend Who Walked the West'' is a 1958 American Western film based on the 1947 film noir '' Kiss of Death''. Almost a horror western, the story involves a psychotic ex-convict terrorising his former cellmate and his family. The director wa ...

'' (1958) *''

Macabre In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...

'' (1958) *'' House of Usher'' (1960) *'' The Pit and the Pendulum'' (1961) *'' Master of the World'' (1961) *'' Panic in Year Zero!'' (1962) *'' Tales of Terror'' (1962) *'' The Young Racers'' (1963) *''

'' (1963) *''

The Comedy of Terrors ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1963) *'' X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes'' (1963) *'' Beach Party'' (1963) *'' Muscle Beach Party'' (1964) *'' Bikini Beach'' (1964) *'' Pajama Party'' (1964) *'' Beach Blanket Bingo'' (1965) *'' How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' (1965) *'' Sergeant Deadhead'' (1965) *'' Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine'' (1965) *''

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini ''Ghost in the Invisible Bikini'' is a 1966 American fantasy comedy film directed by Don Weis. It is the seventh and last of American International Pictures' beach party films. The film features the cast cavorting in and around a haunted house ...

'' (1966) *'' Fireball 500'' (1966) *'' Wild in the Streets'' (1968) *'' The Mini-Skirt Mob'' (1968) *'' Target: Harry'' (1969) *'' Hell's Belles'' (1969) *'' Flareup'' (1969) *'' The Dunwich Horror'' (1970) *'' Cry of the Banshee'' (1970) *''

Frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough skin texture due to ...

'' (1972) *''

Baron Blood Baron Blood is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Baron Blood, John Falsworth, first appeared in ''The Invaders (comics), The Invaders'' #7 (July 1976), who has ...

'' (1972 - US soundtrack) *'' I Escaped from Devil's Island'' (1973) *'' The Devil and LeRoy Bassett'' (1973) *'' Savage Sisters'' (1974) *'' Switchblade Sisters'' (1975) *''

Born Again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

'' (1978) *'' The Beast Within'' (1982) *'' Lightning in a Bottle'' (1993)

Discography

Albums, soundtracks and compilations

**Albums through ''Wild Guitars,''

; 'OST' indicates 'original soundtrack.' * (1947) '' Music Out of the Moon'' (composed by Harry Revel) * (1948) ''Perfume Set To Music'' (composed by Harry Revel) * (1950)

: '' Voice of the Xtabay'' * (1951) ''Arthur Murray Favorites: Tangos'' * (1951) '' Ritual of the Savage (Le sacre du sauvage)'' * (1953) ''Festival of the Gnomes'' (composed by Camillo Ruspoli, 2nd Prince of Candriano) * (1954) ''Thinking of You'' * (1954) '' The Passions'' (featuring Bas Sheva) * (1954) ''Arthur Murray: Modern Waltzes'' * (1955) ''Kaleidoscope'' * (1955) '' Tamboo!'' * (1956) ''

Les Baxter's La Femme ''Les Baxter's La Femme'' is an album by French conductor Franck Pourcel Franck Pourcel (14 August 1913 – 12 November 2000) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor of popular and classical music. Biography Early life Born in Mars ...

'' * (1956) '' Caribbean Moonlight'' * (1957) '' Skins! Bongo Party with Les Baxter'' * (1957) '' 'Round the World with Les Baxter'' * (1957) ''Midnight on the Cliffs'' * (1957) ''Ports of Pleasure'' * (1957) ''Pharaoh's Curse (aka) Curse of the Pharaoh'' * (1958) '' Space Escapade'' * (1958) ''Selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific'' * (1958) ''Confetti'' * (1958) ''Love is a Fabulous Thing'' * (1959) '' Les Baxter's African Jazz'' * (1959) '' Les Baxter's Jungle Jazz'' * (1959) ''Les Baxter's Wild Guitars'' * (1959) ''Barbarian (Goliath and the Barbarians)'' ST( American International Records) * (1960) '' The Sacred Idol'' ST(Capitol Records) * (1960) ''House of Usher / The Fall of the House of Usher'' ST* (1960) ''Les Baxter's Teen Drums'' (Capitol Records) * (1960) ''Young Pops'' (Capitol Records) * (1961) ''Broadway '61'' (Capitol Records) * (1961) ''Alakazam the Great'' ST(

Vee Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana, in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

) * (1961) ''

Jewels of the Sea A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, an ...

'' (Capitol Records) * (1961) ''Master of the World'' ST(Vee Jay Records) * (1962) ''Sensational!'' (Capitol Records) * (1962) ''Voices in Rhythm'' (

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

) * (1962) ''The Primitive and the Passionate'' (Reprise Records) * (1962) ''The Fabulous Sounds of Les Baxter: Strings, Guitars, Voices!'' (

Pickwick Records Pickwick Records was an American record label and British record distributor known for its budget album releases of sound-alike recordings, bargain bin reissues and repackagings under the brands Design, Bravo (later changing its name to Internati ...

) * (1963) ''Les Baxter's Balladeers'' (Reprise Records) * (1963) ''The Academy Award Winners'' (Reprise Records) * (1963) ''The Soul of the Drums'' (Reprise Records) * (1966) ''Brazil Now'' ( GNP Crescendo) * (1967) ''Love is Blue'' (GNP Crescendo) * (1967) ''African Blue'' (GNP Crescendo) * (1968) ''Moog Rock'' (GNP Crescendo) * (1968) ''Hell's Belles'' ST( Sidewalk Records) * (1969) ''Bora Bora'' ST( American International Records) * (1969) ''Bugaloo in Brazil'' ( KPM Music) * (1970) ''Cry of the Banshee'' ST( Citadel Records) * (1971) ''Music of the Devil God Cult: Strange Sounds from Dunwich – The Dunwich Horror'' ST(American International Records) * (1973) ''

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

'' (1963 film) ST(Bax Records) * (1978) ''Born Again'' ST(Lamb & Lion Records)

Singles

All released under Capitol Records: * (1951) " Because of You" * (1952) " Blue Tango" * (1952) "Lonely Wine" * (1953) " April in Portugal" * (1953) "

" * (1953) " I Love Paris" * (1954) " The High and the Mighty" * (1955) "

" * (1955) "

Medic A medic is a person trained to provide medical care, encompassing a wide range of individuals involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of health conditions. The term can refer to fully qualified medical practitioners, such as physic ...

" * (1955) " Wake the Town and Tell the People" * (1956) "Foreign Intrigue" * (1956) " The Poor People of Paris" * (1956) "Tango of the Drums" * (1956) "Giant" * (1959) "Dance, Everyone Dance" * (1960) " Pepe"

Compilations

* (1960) ''Baxter's Best'' (compilation) (Capitol Records) * (1995) ''The Lost Episode of Les Baxter'' (1961 recording) (Dionysus Records) * (1996) ''By Popular Request'' (Dionysus Records) * (1996) ''The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter'' (Capitol Records) * (1998) ''Best of Les Baxter'' (

EMI-Capitol Special Markets EMI-Capitol Special Markets was an EMI subsidiary handling distribution for special markets. It bought 3C Records in the early nineties. It later operated as EMI Music Marketing and EMI Music Distribution in North America but have since been abs ...

)

Anthologies

With various artists: * (1961) ''Wild Hi-Fi Drums / Wild Stereo Drums'' (Capitol Records) * (1969) ''All the Loving Couples'' ST ''one track'' (

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

)

Arrangements for other artists

The Forum: * (1967) ''The River is Wide'' ( Mira Records)

101 Strings 101 Strings Orchestra was the brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding 150 albums and a creative lifetime of around 30 years beginning in 1957. 101 Strings had a trademark sound, focus ...

: * (1970) ''Million Seller Hits'' ( Alshire Records) * (1970) ''Que Mango!'' (Alshire Records) * (1975) ''Movie Themes'' (Alshire Records) * (1975) ''Hit Songs from Spain'' (Alshire Records)

References

External links

*
Les Baxter Collection at the University of Arizona
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Les 1922 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American classical musicians American film score composers American music arrangers Capitol Records artists Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park American easy listening musicians Exotica La-La Land Records artists Les Baxter's Balladeers members American male film score composers Musicians from Detroit People from Mexia, Texas Pepperdine University alumni Record producers from Texas RCA Victor artists Varèse Sarabande Records artists