Born Faye Leighton Jepsen, vocalist Leighton Noble eventually dropped his first name and adopted his stepfather's surname. He learned to play piano as a child and formed his first band, the Blue Blazers, while still in high school. He later put together another group while at Pasadena City College, where he won a singing contest held by the Los Angeles Cocoanut Grove nightclub. The prize was a one week engagement with bandleader Phil Harris. That one week's exposure earned him a job with Hal Grayson, who had just formed a band and was looking for a vocalist. Noble remained with Grayson for six months before leaving in 1933 to join George Hamilton's orchestra, which was based at the Biltmore Hotel.
In late 1934 Noble joined Everett Hoagland, whose band also featured Stan Kenton and Spike Jones. In mid-1935 he left for Orville Knapp. He temporarily led Knapp's orchestra in 1936 after the leader's untimely death in an airplane crash. George Olsen was eventually chosen as permanent leader. Morale problems plagued the band, however, and in 1937 Noble and arranger Chick Floyd left to form their own outfit under Noble's name, taking several musicians with them.
Based on the East Coast, the band featured both Noble and Johnny McAfee as male vocalists. Floyd and Noble's outfit was essentially a sweet orchestra, playing many of the smarter establishments and featuring a similar style to Knapp's, with exaggerated brass and unison saxes. The band also featured former Knapp vocalist Edith Caldwell, who happened to be Floyd's wife. Floyd played novochord, an electronic keyboard instrument.
Noble and Floyd broke up in 1940 with Noble taking the orchestra to the West Coast, where they continued to enjoy success throughout the 1940s. From 1947 to 1952, the band hosted a local television program in Los Angeles, which featured the first broadcast appearance by piano showman Liberace. In 1957 Noble moved to Las Vegas, where his group served as the house orchestra for Harrah's Casino during the 1960s. In 1970 Noble retired and moved to British Columbia. In 1982 he organized a new orchestra, which broke up after he suffered a stroke in 1990. Recovering, he formed another group and remained active until 1993. Leighton Noble died in 1994.