Breeden, Leon, 1921-2010

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Harold Leon Breeden was born on October 3, 1921, in Guthrie, Oklahoma. When he was three years old, his family moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, where he spent the remainder of his childhood and graduated from Wichita Falls High School in 1939. Breeden initially attended Texas Wesleyan College, and transferred to Texas Christian University. During the Second World War, he served in the U.S. Army's 69th Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Bliss. He earned both a Bachelor of Arts in music (1945) and a Master of Music Education degree (1948) at TCU, where he served as a band director from 1944 through 1949. He then did coursework toward a Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York City. While in New York, he worked as an arranging assistant to Don Gillis, who was the producer for the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini. Breeden wrote arrangements for Arthur Fiedler of the Boston Pops, who offered him a full-time position. However, Breeden's father was in poor health, and Breeden returned to Texas to care for him. After returning to Texas, Breeden resumed performing in local jazz bands, and worked as an arranger for WBAP-TV in Fort Worth (now KXAS). In 1953, Breeden became the band director at Grand Prairie High School, and succeeded Gene Hall as director of lab bands at what is now the University of North Texas in 1959, when Hall took a job at Michigan State University. Under Breeden, jazz studies expanded at North Texas, and the One O'Clock Lab Band rose in stature both nationally and internationally, though "stage band" camps, airplay on Willis Conover's Jazz Hour on the Voice of America, a State Department-sponsored tour of Mexico, and performing at the White House. Breeden persevered through personal tragedy, with the loss of his son Danny in a hit-and-run car accident in 1968, and in the 1970s, the Lab Band received Grammy nominations, and toured in western Europe and the Soviet Union. Breeden retired from directing the Land Band in 1981, but continued teaching until 1984. He remained active as a clarinetist and public speaker. Leon Breeden died on August 11, 2010, in Dallas.
Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn J. Frank Lively Collection, 1950-1979 University of North Texas. Music Library
creatorOf Leon Breeden Collection, 1919-2010 University of North Texas. Music Library
referencedIn Gene Hall Collection, 1944-1993 University of North Texas. Music Library
referencedIn Rogers, Robert, 1921-. Oral history interview with Robert and Daisy Rogers, 2007 September 03. University of North Texas Library, UNT
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Bellson, Louis person
associatedWith Bennett, Tony, 1926- person
associatedWith Brown, Ray, 1926-2002 person
associatedWith Conover, Willis person
associatedWith Ellis, Herb, 1921-2010 person
associatedWith Fiedler, Arthur‏, 1894-1979‏ person
associatedWith Fitzgerald, Ella, 1917-1996 person
associatedWith Gillis, Don, 1912-1978 person
associatedWith Graham, Floyd, 1902-1974 person
associatedWith Graham, Floyd Freeman person
associatedWith Green, Urbie person
associatedWith Hall, Gene, 1913-1993 person
associatedWith Jim Riggs. person
associatedWith Johnson, Thor person
associatedWith Jones, Thad person
auntOrUncleOf Kell, Reginald, 1906-1981 person
associatedWith Kenton, Stan person
associatedWith KXAS-TV (Television station : Fort Worth, Tex.) corporateBody
associatedWith Lewis, Mel, 1929-1990 person
associatedWith Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America corporateBody
associatedWith Rogers, Bob, 1921-2013 person
associatedWith Stamm, Marvin, 1939- person
associatedWith Steele, Lanny person
associatedWith Taylor, Mark, 1950- person
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Texas christian university corporateBody
associatedWith Texas Wesleyan College corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Army. Infantry Division, 69th corporateBody
employeeOf University of North Texas. corporateBody
associatedWith Wolking, Henry, 1948- person
associatedWith Woods, Phil person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Guthrie OK US
Fort Worth TX US
Guthrie OK US
Dallas TX US
Denton TX US
Wichita Falls TX US
New York City NY US
Fort Bliss TX US
Subject
Jazz
Occupation
Bandleaders
Clarinetists
Music teachers
Activity

Person

Birth 1921-10-03

Death 2010-08-11

Male

Americans

English

Information

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SNAC ID: 25254476