Leslie Thompson "Les" Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was a best-selling American musician and composer. 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 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

music, known as

exotica Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny Exotica (Martin Denny album), album of the same name 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 Wa ...

and scored over 100 motion pictures.

Early life

Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory 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 up ...

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's

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 th ...

, 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? "What Is This Thing Called Love?" is a 1929 popular song written by Cole Porter, for the musical '' Wake Up and Dream''. It was first performed by Elsie Carlisle in March 1929. The song has become a popular jazz standard and one of Porter's most ...

Career

Baxter then turned to arranging and conducting for

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

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, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

hits, "

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...

" and " Too Young". He also recorded

Yma Sumac Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo (September 13, 1922 (birth certificate) or September 10, 1922 (later documents) – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Yma Sumac (), was a Peruvian-American coloratura soprano. She was one ...

's first album: "Voice of the Xtabay", which can be considered one of the first recordings of Exotica. In 1951 he made the original recording of "

Quiet Village "Quiet Village" is an orchestral pop instrumental that was written and originally performed by Les Baxter in 1951 and an instrumental album from 1959 by Martin Denny. In the liner notes to his album, '' Ritual of the Savage (Le sacre du sauvage)' ...

" which years later became a hit for

Martin Denny Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 – March 2, 2005) was an American pianist and composer best known as the "father of exotica." In a long career that saw him performing up to 3 weeks prior to his death, he toured the world popularizing his brand of l ...

. In 1953 he scored his first movie, the sailing

travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or ...

''Tanga Tika''. With his own orchestra, he released a number of hits including "

Ruby A 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 sa ...

" (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 Rodr ...

" (1955), and "

The Poor People of Paris "The Poor People of Paris" is a US pop song that became a number-one instrumental hit in 1956. It is based on the French language song "La goualante du pauvre Jean" ("The Ballad of Poor John"), with music by Marguerite Monnot and words by René ...

" (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 GNP Crescendo Record Co. is an independent record label founded in 1954 by Gene Norman ''(né'' Eugene Abraham Nabatoff; 1922–2015). It started as a producer of jazz, then expanded into many other genres, including comedy, rock, and ''Star Trek' ...

'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 baritone sa ...

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 ...

. Baxter also wrote the "Whistle" theme from the TV show '' Lassie''. In the 1960s, he formed the Balladeers, a conservative folk group in suits that at one time featured a young

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

. 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 ...

technique originally developed by

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

. He worked in radio as musical director of ''

The Halls of Ivy ''The Halls of Ivy'' is an American situation comedy that ran from 1950 to 1952 on NBC radio, created by '' Fibber McGee & Molly'' co-creator/writer Don Quinn. The series was adapted into a CBS television comedy (1954–55) produced by ITC Entert ...

'' and the

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

and Abbott and Costello shows. Like his counterparts

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

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

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

where he composed scores for

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

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

films and other horror and beach party films including '' House of Usher'', ''

The Pit and the Pendulum "The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual ''The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843''. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of ...

'', ''

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 myst ...

'', ''

Muscle Beach Party ''Muscle Beach Party'' is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series. ...

'' and '' Beach Blanket Bingo''. He also composed a new score for the theatrical release of the 1970 horror film ''

Cry of the Banshee ''Cry of the Banshee'' is a 1970 British horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Vincent Price as an evil witchhunter. The film was released by American International Pictures. The film costars Elisabeth Bergner, Hilary Dwyer, and Hu ...

'' after AIP rejected

Wilfred Josephs Wilfred Josephs (24 July 1927 – 17 November 1997) was an English composer. Life Born in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, the fourth and youngest son of Russian and South Shields Jewish parents, Wilfred Josephs had his first musical studies in Ne ...

's original one.

Howard W. Koch Howard Winchel Koch (April 11, 1916 – February 16, 2001) was an American producer and director of film and television. Life and career Koch was born in New York City, the son of Beatrice (Winchel) and William Jacob Koch. His family was Jewish. ...

recalled that Baxter composed, orchestrated and recorded the entire score of ''

The Yellow Tomahawk ''The Yellow Tomahawk'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Richard Alan Simmons. The film stars Rory Calhoun, Peggie Castle, Noah Beery, Jr., Warner Anderson, Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef and Rita Moreno. ...

'' (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 SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (one park will be ...

. Baxter died in Newport Beach, California at the age of 73. Survived by his daughter Leslie, he was buried at Pacific View Memorial Park, in

Corona del Mar Corona del Mar (Spanish for "Crown of the Sea") is a seaside neighborhood in the city of Newport Beach, California. It generally consists of all the land on the seaward face of the San Joaquin Hills south of Avocado Avenue to the city limits, as ...

, California.

Controversy

According to

Milt Bernhart Milt Bernhart (May 25, 1926 – January 22, 2004) was a West Coast jazz trombonist who worked with Stan Kenton, Frank Sinatra, and others. He supplied the solo in the middle of Sinatra's 1956 recording of '' I've Got You Under My Skin'' conducted ...

, Nelson Riddle was a ghostwriter for Baxter when Baxter was working for Nat King Cole. This doesn't make any sense, though, because while Baxter was working (and got 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 He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

" But Baxter went on to write symphonies for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and guest conduct at the Hollywood Bowl. 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, 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 "Pete" Rugolo (December 25, 1915 – October 16, 2011) 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 United States in 1920 and settle ...

. 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 va ...

. Baxter said that he would give his compositions to orchestrators to orchestrate to deal with a 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.

Awards

Baxter has a motion picture star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

at 6314 Hollywood Blvd.

Selected filmography

*''

The Black Sleep ''The Black Sleep'' is a 1956 American independent horror film directed by Reginald LeBorg, and written by John C. Higgins from a story by Gerald Drayson Adams. It stars Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Bela Lugosi, and Akim Tam ...

'' (1956) *''

Rebel in Town ''Rebel in Town'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring John Payne, Ruth Roman, J. Carrol Naish and Ben Cooper. Plot Home from the Civil War, where he fought for the Union army, John Willoughby now lives i ...

'' (1956) * '' Wetbacks'' (1956) *''

A Woman's Devotion ''A Woman's Devotion '' is a 1956 American film noir directed by Paul Henreid and starring Ralph Meeker, Janice Rule and Paul Henreid.Lyons, Arthur. ''Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir!'', 2000. New York: Da Capo. . Plot Artist ...

'' (1956) *''

Voodoo Island Voodoo Island is a 1957 American horror film directed by Reginald Le Borg and written by Richard H. Landau. The film stars Boris Karloff, with a cast including Elisha Cook Jr., Beverly Tyler and Rhodes Reason. It is set in the South Pacific and w ...

'' (1957) *'' Pharaoh's Curse'' (1957) *''

Untamed Youth ''Untamed Youth'' is a 1957 American teen film directed by Howard W. Koch, written by John C. Higgins and Stephen Longstreet, and starring Mamie Van Doren and Lori Nelson as two starstruck sisters who are sentenced to farm labor. Plot Sisters ...

'' (1957) *''

The Invisible Boy ''The Invisible Boy'' (aka ''S.O.S Spaceship'') is a 1957 black and white American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, directed by Herman Hoffman, and starring Richard Eyer and Philip Abbott. It is the ...

'' (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 a ...

'' (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 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 was Gordon ...

'' (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) *''

'' (1961) *'' Master of the World'' (1961) *''

Panic in Year Zero! ''Panic in Year Zero!'' (a.k.a. ''End of the World'') is a 1962 American black-and-white survival science fiction film from American International Pictures. It was produced by Arnold Houghland and Lou Rusoff, directed by Ray Milland, who also ...

'' (1962) *'' Tales of Terror'' (1962) *''

The Young Racers ''The Young Racers'' is a 1963 sports drama film directed by Roger Corman and starring Mark Damon, William Campbell, Luana Anders and Patrick Magee. It is based on the Formula One races in Europe. Plot Joe Machin ( William Campbell), an Am ...

'' (1963) *''

The Comedy of Terrors ''The Comedy of Terrors'' is a 1963 American International Pictures horror comedy film directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and (in a cameo) Joe E. Brown in his final film appeara ...

'' (1963) *'' X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes'' (1963) *''

Beach Party ''Beach Party'' is a 1963 American film and the first of seven beach party films from American International Pictures (AIP) aimed at a teen audience.Smith, Gary A. Smith (2009) ''The American International Pictures Video Guide'', McFarland p.2 ...

'' (1963) *''

'' (1964) *''

Bikini Beach ''Bikini Beach'' is a 1964 American teen film directed by William Asher and starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. The film belongs to the beach party genre of movies, popular in the 1960s. This is the third in the series of seven film ...

'' (1964) *'' Pajama Party'' (1964) *'' Beach Blanket Bingo'' (1965) *''

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini ''How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' is a 1965 Pathécolor beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Beverl ...

'' (1965) *''

Sergeant Deadhead ''Sergeant Deadhead'' is a 1965 musical comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Frankie Avalon. It features many cast members who appeared in the ''Beach Party'' movies. Plot Sergeant Deadhead is a bumbling soldier who is sent to the g ...

'' (1965) *''

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine ''Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine'' is a 1965 American International Pictures comedy film, made in Pathécolor, directed by Norman Taurog. It stars Vincent Price, Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, Susan Hart and Jack Mullaney, and features F ...

'' (1965) *''

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini ''Ghost in the Invisible Bikini'' is the seventh and last of American International Pictures' beach party films. Released in 1966, the film features the cast cavorting in and around a haunted house and the adjacent swimming pool. No beach appea ...

'' (1966) *''

Fireball 500 ''Fireball 500'' is a 1966 stock car racing film, blended with the beach party film genre. A vehicle for stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, and Fabian, it was one of a string of similar racing films from the 1960s. Written by William Ashe ...

'' (1966) *''

Wild in the Streets ''Wild in the Streets'' is a 1968 American comedy-drama film directed by Barry Shear and starring Christopher Jones, Hal Holbrook, and Shelley Winters. Based on the short story "The Day It All Happened, Baby!" by Robert Thom, it was distribu ...

'' (1968) *''

The Mini-Skirt Mob ''The Mini-Skirt Mob'' is a 1968 outlaw biker film about an all-female motorcycle gang. The film was directed by Maury Dexter, and stars Diane McBain, Jeremy Slate, Sherry Jackson, Patty McCormack, Harry Dean Stanton and Sandra Marshall. Plot ...

'' (1968) *'' Target: Harry'' (1969) *'' Hell's Belles'' (1969) *''

Flareup A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

'' (1969) *''

The Dunwich Horror "The Dunwich Horror" is a horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of '' Weird Tales'' (pp. 481–508). It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusett ...

'' (1970) *''

Frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...

'' (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'' #7 (July 1976). The second incarnation, Victor ...

'' (1972 - US soundtrack) *''

I Escaped from Devil's Island ''I Escaped from Devil's Island'' is a 1973 exploitation film about an escape attempt from Devil's Island. Roger Corman and Gene Corman produced this grim adventure saga which was made to cash in on the release of '' Papillon''. Plot summary P ...

'' (1973) *''

The Devil and LeRoy Bassett ''The Devil and LeRoy Bassett'' is a 1973 modern-day western adventure. The story follows a jailbreak that leads to the fugitives taking a church bus while trying to keep ahead of the law. The film was directed by Robert E. Pearson and starred ...

'' (1973) *'' Savage Sisters'' (1974) *''

Switchblade Sisters ''Switchblade Sisters'' is a 1975 American exploitation action film detailing the lives of high school-aged female gang members. It was directed by Jack Hill and stars Joanne Nail, Robbie Lee and Monica Gayle. The film is also known as ''The J ...

'' (1975) *'' Born Again'' (1978) *''

The Beast Within ''The Beast Within'' is a 1982 American horror film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, L. Q. Jones, Don Gordon, R. G. Armstrong, Logan Ramsey, Katherine Moffat, and Meshach Taylor. ''The Beast With ...

'' (1982) *''

Lightning in a Bottle Lightning in a Bottle (LIB) is an annual music festival in the Central Valley region of California first held in 2006. It is presented by The Do LaB, which seeks to promote sustainability, social cohesion, and creative expression. The Do LaB ...

'' (1993)

Discography

Albums, soundtracks and compilations

* (1947) '' Music Out of the Moon'' (composed by

Harry Revel Harry Revel ( Glaser; 21 December 1905 – 3 November 1958) was a British-born American composer, mostly of musical theatre, working with various lyricists, notably Mack Gordon. He is also seen as a pioneer of " space age pop". Early life and c ...

) * (1948) ''Perfume Set To Music'' (composed by Harry Revel) * (1949) ''Music for Peace of Mind'' * (1950)

: ''Voice of the Xtabay'' * (1951) ''Arthur Murray Favorites: Tangos'' * (1951) ''

Ritual of the Savage ''Ritual of the Savage'' is an album by American composer Les Baxter, released in 1951 often cited as one of the most important exotica albums. The album featured lush orchestral arrangements along with tribal rhythms and offered such classics as ...

(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) * (1955) ''Arthur Murray Favorites: Modern Waltzes'' * (1955) ''Kaleidoscope'' * (1955) ''

Tamboo! ''Tamboo!'' is an album by Les Baxter, His Chorus and Orchestra. It was released in 1955 on the Capitol label (catalog nos. T-655). The album debuted on ''Billboard'' magazine's popular albums chart on January 28, 1956, peaked at No. 6, and rema ...

'' * (1956) ''

Les Baxter's La Femme ''Les Baxter's La Femme'' is an album by French conductor Franck Pourcel and His French Strings. It was released in 1956 on the Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature me ...

'' * (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 ''Space Escapade'' is an album by Les Baxter and His Orchestra. It was released in 1958 on the Capitol Records, Capitol label (catalog no. T-968). Baxter also composed the music. AllMusic later gave the album a rating of four-and-a-half stars. Re ...

'' * (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* (1960) '' The Sacred Idol'' ST* (1960) ''House of Usher / The Fall of the House of Usher'' ST* (1960) ''Les Baxter's Teen Drums'' * (1960) ''Baxter's Best'' * (1960) ''Young Pops'' * (1961) ''Broadway '61'' * (1961) ''Alakazam the Great'' ST* (1961) ''

Jewels of the Sea ''Jewels of the Sea'' is a 1961 orchestral exotica album by American composer Les Baxter. The album was inspired by fantasy ideas of the ocean from pop culture, such as mermaids and sea nymphs, sunken ships, and legendary underwater cities such ...

'' * (1961) ''Master of the World'' ST* (1961) ''Wild Hi-Fi Drums / Wild Stereo Drums'' * (1962) ''Sensational!'' * (1962) ''Exotica Suite'' * (1962) ''Voices in Rhythm'' * (1962) ''The Primitive and the Passionate'' * (1962) ''The Fabulous Sounds of Les Baxter: Strings, Guitars, Voices!'' * (1963) ''Les Baxter's Balladeers'' * (1963) ''The Academy Award Winners'' * (1963) ''The Soul of the Drums'' * (1966) ''

Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs ''Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs'' ( Italian: ''Le spie vengono dal semifreddo'', lit. "The spies who came in from the cool") is a 1966 Eurospy comedy film, made in Technicolor and directed by Mario Bava. Serving as a sequel to two unrelated fi ...

'' (1966) ST* (1966) The Forum: ''The River is Wide'' * (1966) ''Brazil Now'' * (1967) ''Love is Blue'' * (1967) ''African Blue'' * (1968) ''Moog Rock'' * (1968) ''Hell's Belles'' ST* (1969) ''All the Loving Couples'' ST* (1969) ''Bora Bora'' ST* (1969) ''Bugaloo in Brazil'' * (1970) ''Que Mango!'' * (1970) ''Million Seller Hits'' * (1970) ''Cry of the Banshee'' ST* (1971) ''Music of the Devil God Cult: Strange Sounds from Dunwich – The Dunwich Horror'' ST* (1973) ''

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

'' (1963) ST* (1975) ''Movie Themes'' * (1975) ''Hit Songs from Spain'' * (1978) ''Born Again'' * (1995) ''The Lost Episode of Les Baxter'' (1961) riginal Television Soundtrack* (1996) ''By Popular Request'' * (1996) ''The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter''

Singles

* (1951) " Because of You" * (1952) "

Blue Tango "Blue Tango" is an instrumental composition by Leroy Anderson, written for orchestra in 1951 and published in 1952. It was later turned into a popular song with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. Numerous artists have since covered "Blue Tango". Song his ...

" * (1952) "Lonely Wine" * (1953) " April in Portugal" * (1953) "

" * (1953) "

I Love Paris "I Love Paris" is a popular song written by Cole Porter and published in 1953. The song was introduced by Lilo in the musical '' Can-Can''. A line in the song's lyrics inspired the title of the 1964 movie '' Paris When It Sizzles''. Notable re ...

" * (1954) " The High and the Mighty" * (1955) "

" * (1955) "Medic" * (1955) "

Wake the Town and Tell the People "Wake the Town and Tell the People" is a popular song with music by Jerry Livingston and lyrics by Sammy Gallop, published in 1955. This song is a wedding day number complete with the chorus imitating the sound of wedding bells, as well as the sou ...

" * (1956) "Foreign Intrigue" * (1956) "

" * (1956) "Tango of the Drums" * (1956) "Giant" * (1959) "Dance, Everyone Dance" * (1960) "Pepe"

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External links

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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 classical musicians American film score composers American music arrangers Capitol Records artists Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park 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