Leslie Thompson Baxter was an American musician, composer and conductor. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica and scored over 250 radio, television and motion pictures numbers.
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 Martin Denny album Exotica. The musical colloquialism exotica means tropical ersatz, the non-native, pseudo experience of insular Oceania, Southeast Asia, Hawaii, the Amazon basin, the Andes, the Caribbean and tribal Africa. Denny described the musical style as "a combination of the South Pacific and the Orient...what a lot of people imagined the islands to be like...it's pure fantasy though." While the South Seas forms the core region, exotica reflects the "musical impressions" of every place from standard travel destinations to the mythical "shangri-las" dreamt of by armchair safari-ers.
Jack K. Pleis was an American jazz pianist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer. He recorded on London and Decca Records in the 1950s, and Columbia Records in the 1960s. During the course of his career, Pleis worked with many artists, including Louis Armstrong, Harry Belafonte, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Benny Goodman, Earl Grant, Brenda Lee, and Joe Williams. Between 1950 and 1976, more than 150 songs were arranged by Pleis. His surname is pronounced "Pleece".
Eddie Baxter was an American organist who provided music for several TV programs and recorded several albums for various labels, most importantly for Dot.
The Song of Robbins is a studio album by country music singer Marty Robbins. It was released in 1957 by Columbia Records.
Hank! is a studio album by country music artist Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys. It was released in 1957 by Capitol Records.
Losers, Weepers is a studio album by Kay Starr. It was released in 1960 by Capitol Records. It was produced by Dave Cavanaugh. She is backed on the album by Van Alexander and his band. The album's liner notes state: "Kay Starr, working closely and skillfully with the musicians, so that each nuance of lyric, melody, and mood is carried out with full beauty and meaning."
Passport to Romance is a 1956 album of orchestral pop instrumentals by Percy Faith & His Orchestra. It was released in 1956 by Columbia Records. The album contains 12 songs built around a theme of travel in Europe.
Christmas Carols is an album of Christmas music by Mantovani and His Orchestra. It was originally released in 1953 by London Records. It was recorded at Kingsway Hall in London with Charles Smart playing Kingsway Hall's organ. The album was re-recorded in stereo in 1958. The album includes an original Mantovani composition, "Midnight Waltz".
'S Marvelous is an album by Ray Conniff and His Orchestra. It was released in mono in 1957 on the Columbia label and in stereo in 1958.
Memories Are Made of This is an album by Ray Conniff and His Orchestra and Chorus. It was released in 1960 on the Columbia label. The album features Conniff, his orchestra, and a chorus performing wordless vocalizing.
It Must Be Him is an album by Ray Conniff and The Singers. It was released in 1967 on the Columbia label.
Tamboo! is an album by Les Baxter, His Chorus and Orchestra. It was released in 1955 on the Capitol label.
Skins! Bongo Party with Les Baxter is an album by Les Baxter's Drums. It was released in 1957 on Capitol Records.
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 label. Upon its release, Billboard magazine gave the album a rating of 77 and wrote: "'La Femme' might be called a 'pop' symphony, in a dozen movements, dedicated to woman -- her eyes, lips, arms, hands, etc. The pieces are reflective of the mysteries of femininity, and the whole attractive opus is the work of Les Baxter."
Caribbean Moonlight is an album by Les Baxter. It was released in 1956 on Capitol Records. In January 1957, it reached the No. 5 spot on Billboard magazine's "Pop Instrumentals" chart.
Space Escapade is an album by Les Baxter and His Orchestra. It was released in 1958 on the Capitol label. Baxter also composed the music.
Les Baxter's African Jazz is an album by Les Baxter and His Orchestra. It was released in 1959 on Capitol Records The album consists of original music composed by Baxter. Upon its release, the album received a four-star rating from Billboard magazine. Billboard called it an "imaginative package" with "inventive treatments", excellent sound, and "lush, rich approaches."
The Sacred Idol is an album by Les Baxter and His Orchestra. It was released in 1960 on Capitol Records. The music was composed by Baxter; it was originally intended to be the soundtrack for a film that was never released.
Calcutta! is an album by Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra. It was released in 1961 on the Dot label. The album featured Frank Scott at the harpsichord and included Welk's No. 1 hit single, "Calcutta".
