Lester Lanin

Personal

Vocation

Notable

American jazz and pop music bandleader, famous for his long, smoothly-arranged medleys, at a consistent rhythm and tempo, which were designed for continuous dancing. Lanin's career began in the late 1920s and his popularity increased through the advent of the LP era. Starting with Epic Records in the mid 1950s, he recorded a string of albums for several labels, many of which hit the US Billboard 200. In 1930, Lanin was hired to play at a gala for Barbara Hutton, and the event garnered so much press in New York newspapers that it made Lanin a star as well as the young heiress. Lanin became a major star of the dance music world, and was hired worldwide to play for dignitaries and monarchs, in addition to a recurring invitation to play at White House inaugural balls from the Eisenhower administration to the Carter administration. According to Lanin, one of his most memorable performances was playing at a party for avant-garde rock musician Frank Zappa. Lanin also played for other celebrities, including Billy Joel's 1985 wedding to Christie Brinkley. Lanin continued performing well into the 1990s. He died on 27 October 2004, aged 97, in Manhattan, New York. Link to Wikipedia biography