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Wikipedia

Glenn Miller

February 27, 2023

This article is about the swing musician. For other uses, see Glenn Miller (disambiguation).

Alton Glen Miller[1] (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944)[1][2][3][4][5] was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the US Army Air Forces.[4] Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was one of the most popular and successful bands of the 20th century and the big band era.[6][7][8] His military group, the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra,[4] was also popular and successful.[4]

Glenn Miller
Miller c. 1942
Born
Alton Glen Miller

(1904-03-01)March 1, 1904
Clarinda, Iowa
DisappearedDecember 15, 1944 (aged 40)
over English Channel
Spouse
Helen Burger
​
(m. 1928)​
Musical career
GenresSwing music, big band
Occupation(s)Bandleader, musician, arranger, composer
Instrument(s)Trombone
Years active1923–1944
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Forces
Years of service1942–1944
RankMajor
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsBronze Star Medal (posthumously; 1945)

Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was the best-selling recording band from 1939 to 1942. It did not have a string section, but did have a slap bass in the rhythm section. It was also a touring band that played multiple radio broadcasts nearly every day. Their best-selling records include Miller's iconic theme song – "Moonlight Serenade" – and the first gold record ever made, "Chattanooga Choo Choo". The following tunes are also on that best-seller list: "In the Mood", "Pennsylvania 6-5000" (printed as "Pennsylvania Six-Five Thousand" on record labels), "A String of Pearls", "Moonlight Cocktail", "At Last", "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo", "American Patrol", "Tuxedo Junction", "Elmer's Tune", "Little Brown Jug", and "Anvil Chorus".[9] Including "Chattanooga Choo Choo", five songs played by Miller and His Orchestra were number one hits for most of 1942 and can be found on the List of Billboard number-one singles of 1942.[10] In four years, Miller scored 16 number one records and 69 top 10 hits, more than Elvis Presley (40)[11] and the Beatles in their careers.[12][13][14] His musical legacy includes multiple recordings in the Grammy Hall of Fame. His work has been performed by swing bands, jazz bands, and big bands worldwide for over 75 years.[15]

Miller is considered to be the father of the modern US military bands. In 1942, he volunteered to join the US military to entertain troops during World War II and ended up in the US Army Air Forces.[4] Their workload was just as heavy as the civilian band's had been. With a full string section added to a big band, the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra[16] was the forerunner of many US military big bands.[17][4]

Miller went missing in action (MIA) on December 15, 1944, on a flight over the English Channel.[4] In keeping with standard operating procedure for the US military services, Miller was officially declared dead a year and a day later.[18][4][19] An Army investigation led to an official finding of death for Miller, Norman Baessell, and John Morgan, all of whom died on the same flight.[20] All three officers are listed on the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge, England.[4][21] Since his body was not recoverable, Miller was allowed to have a memorial headstone placed at the US Army-operated Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.[20][4][22][23][24][25] In February 1945, he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal.[4]

Early life and career

The son of Mattie Lou (née Cavender) Miller and Lewis Elmer Miller, Alton Glen Miller was born in Clarinda, Iowa.[1][2] He added the second n to "Glenn" during high school.[26] Like his father (Lewis Elmer) and his siblings (Elmer Deane, John Herbert and Emma Irene), Miller went by his middle name, Glenn.[27] As Dennis Spragg of the Glenn Miller Archives[3] confirms, "Miller's use of his first name, Alton was necessary for legal and military purposes, which is logically why it shows up in formal documents such as his military documents, driver’s licenses, tax returns, etc."[3] He is listed as Alton G. Miller in the Army Air Forces section of the Tablets of the Missing in Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge, England. His name is engraved as Major Alton Glenn Miller, US Army (Air Corps) on his Government-issued (G.I.) memorial headstone in Memorial Section H at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His last military unit has a memorial tree in section 13 on Wilson Drive. The American Holly was dedicated on December 15, 1994, the 50th anniversary of Miller's death, for the veterans of the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra.[28]

He attended grade school in North Platte in western Nebraska. In 1915, his family moved to Grant City, Missouri. Around this time, he had made enough money from milking cows to buy his first trombone and played in the town orchestra. He played cornet and mandolin, but he switched to trombone by 1916.[29]

In 1918, Miller and his family moved to Fort Morgan, Colorado, where he went to Fort Morgan High School. In the fall of 1919, he joined the F.M.H.S. Maroons, the high school football team that won the Northern Colorado American Football Conference in 1920. He was named Best Left End in Colorado in 1921.[26][30] For two years, Miller was one of the editors of his own high school yearbook, "Memories".[26] In each of the yearbooks he edited, his name was spelled both Glen with one n, and Glenn with a double n.[27]

During his senior year, he became so interested in dance band music that he formed a band with some classmates.[4] The high school orchestra was an after school activity, but he played there too.[4][26] For a time, classes in harmony, piano, violin, and music appreciation were full, but classes were discontinued.[26] However, by the time he graduated from high school in 1921, he had decided to become a professional musician.[2] He missed his own graduation because he was performing out of town. His mother gladly received his diploma for him.[4]

In 1923, Miller entered the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he joined Sigma Nu fraternity.[31] He spent most of his time away from school, attending auditions and playing any gigs he could get, including with Boyd Senter's band in Denver. After failing three out of five classes, he dropped out of school to pursue a career in music. Ironically, he failed Harmony.[4]

In New York City, he studied the Schillinger system with Joseph Schillinger, under whose tutelage he composed "Miller's Tune". Miller arranged that tune for big band and renamed it. It became his signature theme, "Moonlight Serenade".[32]

In 1926, Miller toured with several groups, landing a good spot in Ben Pollack's group in Los Angeles. He also played for Victor Young, which allowed him to be mentored by other professional musicians.[33] In the beginning, he was the main trombone soloist of the band, but when Jack Teagarden joined Pollack's band in 1928, Miller found that his solos were cut drastically. He realized that his future was in arranging and composing.[29]

He had a songbook published in Chicago in 1928 entitled 125 Jazz Breaks for Trombone by the Melrose Brothers.[34] During his time with Pollack, he wrote several arrangements. He wrote his first composition, "Room 1411", with Benny Goodman, and Brunswick Records released it as a 78 rpm record under the name "Benny Goodman's Boys".[35]

In 1928, when the band arrived in New York City, he sent for and married his college sweetheart, Helen Burger. He was a member of Red Nichols' orchestra (Red Nichols and his Five Pennies)[4] in 1930, and because of Nichols, he played in the pit bands of two Broadway shows, Strike Up the Band and Girl Crazy. That band included Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa.[36]

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Miller worked as a freelance trombonist in several bands. On a March 21, 1928, Victor Records session, he played alongside Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Joe Venuti in the All-Star Orchestra directed by Nat Shilkret.[37][38][39] He arranged and played trombone on several significant Dorsey brothers sessions for OKeh Records, including "The Spell of the Blues", "Let's Do It", and "My Kinda Love", all with Bing Crosby on vocals. On November 14, 1929,[40] vocalist Red McKenzie hired Miller to play on two records: "Hello, Lola" and "If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight".[41][42] Beside Miller were saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, guitarist Eddie Condon, and drummer Gene Krupa.[43]

In the early to mid-1930s, Miller worked as a trombonist, arranger, and composer for the Dorsey Brothers, first, when they were a Brunswick studio group and later, when they formed an ill-fated orchestra.[44] Miller composed the songs "Annie's Cousin Fanny",[45][46][47] "Dese Dem Dose",[44][47] "Harlem Chapel Chimes", and "Tomorrow's Another Day" for the Dorsey Brothers Band in 1934 and 1935.

In 1935, he assembled an American orchestra for British bandleader Ray Noble,[44] developing the arrangement of lead clarinet over four saxophones that became a characteristic of his big band. Members of the Noble band included Claude Thornhill, Bud Freeman, and Charlie Spivak.

Miller made his first movie appearance in The Big Broadcast of 1936 as a member of the Ray Noble Orchestra performing "Why Stars Come Out at Night". The film included performances by Dorothy Dandridge and the Nicholas Brothers, who would appear with Miller again in two movies for Twentieth Century Fox in 1941 and 1942.

In 1937, Miller compiled several arrangements and formed his first band. After failing to distinguish itself from the many bands of the time, it broke up after its last show at the Ritz Ballroom in Bridgeport, Connecticut on January 2, 1938.[48]

Benny Goodman said in 1976:

In late 1937, before his band became popular, we were both playing in Dallas. Glenn was pretty dejected and came to see me. He asked, "What do you do? How do you make it?" I said, "I don't know, Glenn. You just stay with it."[49]

Success from 1938 to 1942

Main article: Glenn Miller Orchestra
 
The Glenn Miller Orchestra

Discouraged, Miller returned to New York. He realized that he needed to develop a unique sound and decided to make the clarinet play a melodic line with a tenor saxophone holding the same note, while three other saxophones harmonized within a single octave. George T. Simon discovered a saxophonist named Wilbur Schwartz. Miller hired Schwartz but had him play lead clarinet instead of the saxophone. According to Simon, "Willie's tone and way of playing provided a fullness and richness so distinctive that none of the later Miller imitators could ever accurately reproduce the Miller sound."[50] With this new sound combination, Miller found a way to differentiate his band's style from that of many bands that existed in the late 1930s.[citation needed]

Miller talked about his style in the May 1939 issue of Metronome magazine. "You'll notice today some bands use the same trick on every introduction; others repeat the same musical phrase as a modulation into a vocal ... We're fortunate in that our style doesn't limit us to stereotyped intros, modulations, first choruses, endings, or even trick rhythms. The fifth sax, playing the clarinet most of the time, lets you know whose band you're listening to. And that's about all there is to it."[51]

Bluebird Records and Glen Island Casino

 
1939 Baltimore Hippodrome Ballroom concert poster.

In September 1938, the Miller band began recording for Bluebird, a subsidiary of RCA Victor.[52] Cy Shribman, a prominent East Coast businessman, financed the band.[53] In the spring of 1939, the band's fortunes improved with a date at the Meadowbrook Ballroom in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, and more dramatically at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, New York. According to author Gunther Schuller, the Glen Island performance attracted "a record-breaking opening-night crowd of 1800..."[54]

The band's popularity grew.[55] In 1939, Time magazine noted: "Of the 12 to 24 discs in each of today's 300,000 U.S. jukeboxes, from two to six are usually Glenn Miller's."[56] In 1940, the band's version of "Tuxedo Junction" sold 115,000 copies in the first week.[57] Miller's success in 1939 culminated with an appearance at Carnegie Hall on October 6, with Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman, and Fred Waring also on the schedule.[58]

From December 1939 to September 1942, Miller's band performed three times a week during a quarter-hour broadcast for Chesterfield cigarettes on CBS radio[59]—for the first 13 weeks with the Andrews Sisters and then on its own.[60]

On February 10, 1942, RCA Victor presented Miller with the first gold record for "Chattanooga Choo Choo".[4][61][62] The Miller orchestra performed "Chattanooga Choo Choo" with his singers Gordon "Tex" Beneke, Paula Kelly and the Modernaires.[63] Other singers with this orchestra included Marion Hutton,[64] Skip Nelson,[65] Ray Eberle[66] and (to a smaller extent) Kay Starr,[67] Ernie Caceres,[68] Dorothy Claire[69] and Jack Lathrop.[70] Pat Friday dubbed for Lynn Bari by singing her part in the Glenn Miller Orchestra in their two films, Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives, with Lynn Bari lip-synching.[71]

 
First gold record award for "Chattanooga Choo Choo" presented to Miller by W. Wallace Early of RCA Victor with announcer Paul Douglas on far left, February 10, 1942

Motion pictures

Miller and his band appeared in two Twentieth Century Fox films. In 1941's Sun Valley Serenade they were major members of the cast, which also featured comedian Milton Berle, and Dorothy Dandridge with the Nicholas Brothers in the show-stopping song-and-dance number, "Chattanooga Choo Choo". The Miller band returned to Hollywood to film 1942's Orchestra Wives, featuring Jackie Gleason playing a part as the group's bassist. Though contracted to do a third movie for Fox, Blind Date, Miller entered the US Army and this film was never made.[72]

Critical reaction

In 2004, Miller orchestra bassist Trigger Alpert explained the band's success: "Miller had America's music pulse... He knew what would please the listeners."[73] Although Miller was popular, many jazz critics had misgivings. They believed that the band's endless rehearsals—and, according to critic Amy Lee in Metronome magazine, "letter-perfect playing"—removed feeling from their performances.[74] They also felt that Miller's brand of swing shifted popular music from the hot jazz of Benny Goodman and Count Basie to commercial novelty instrumentals and vocal numbers.[75] After Miller died, the Miller estate maintained an unfriendly stance toward critics who derided the band during his lifetime.[76]

Miller was often criticized for being too commercial. His answer was, "I don't want a jazz band."[77][78] Many modern jazz critics harbor similar antipathy. In 1997, on a website administered by JazzTimes magazine, Doug Ramsey considers him overrated. "Miller discovered a popular formula from which he allowed little departure. A disproportionate ratio of nostalgia to substance keeps his music alive."[79][80][81]

Jazz critics Gunther Schuller[82] (1991) and Gary Giddins[83][84] (2004) have defended Miller from criticism. In an article written for The New Yorker magazine in 2004, Giddins said these critics erred in denigrating Miller's music, and that the popular opinion of the time should hold greater sway. "Miller exuded little warmth on or off the bandstand, but once the band struck up its theme, audiences were done for: throats clutched, eyes softened. Can any other record match 'Moonlight Serenade' for its ability to induce a Pavlovian slaver in so many for so long?"[83] Schuller notes, "[The Miller sound] was nevertheless very special and able to penetrate our collective awareness that few other sounds have..."[85] He compares it to "Japanese Gagaku [and] Hindu music" in its purity.[85] Schuller and Giddins do not take completely uncritical approaches to Miller. Schuller says that Ray Eberle's "lumpy, sexless vocalizing dragged down many an otherwise passable performance."[85] But Schuller notes, "How much further [Miller's] musical and financial ambitions might have carried him must forever remain conjectural. That it would have been significant, whatever form(s) it might have taken, is not unlikely."[85]

Reaction from musical peers

 
Miller from the Billboard Music Yearbook

Louis Armstrong thought enough of Miller to carry around his recordings, transferred to seven-inch tape reels when he went on tour. "[Armstrong] liked musicians who prized melody, and his selections ranged from Glenn Miller to Jelly Roll Morton to Tchaikovsky."[86] Jazz pianist George Shearing's quintet of the 1950s and 1960s was influenced by Miller: "with Shearing's locked hands style piano (influenced by the voicing of Miller's saxophone section) in the middle [of the quintet's harmonies]".[87][88] Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé held the orchestra in high regard. Tormé credited Miller with giving him helpful advice when he first started his singing and songwriting career in the 1940s. Tormé met Miller in 1942, the meeting facilitated by Tormé's father and Ben Pollack. Tormé and Miller discussed "That Old Black Magic", which was just emerging as a new song by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen. Miller told Tormé to pick up every song by Mercer and study it and to become a voracious reader of anything he could find, because "all good lyric writers are great readers."[89] In an interview with George T. Simon in 1948, Sinatra lamented the inferior quality of music he was recording in the late '40s, in comparison with "those great Glenn Miller things"[90] from eight years earlier. Frank Sinatra's recording sessions from the late '40s and early '50s use some Miller musicians. Trigger Alpert, a bassist from the civilian band, Zeke Zarchy for the Army Air Forces Orchestra and Willie Schwartz, the lead clarinetist from the civilian band back up Frank Sinatra on many recordings.[91][92]

It was a surprise that clarinetist Buddy DeFranco took on the job of leading the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the late '60s and early '70s. De Franco was already a veteran of bands like Gene Krupa and Tommy Dorsey in the '40s. He was also a major exponent of modern jazz in the '50s.[93] He never saw Miller as leading a swinging jazz band, but DeFranco is extremely fond of certain aspects of the Glenn Miller style. "I found that when I opened with 'Moonlight Serenade', I could see men and women weeping as the music carried them back to years gone by."[94][95] De Franco says, "the beauty of Glenn Miller's ballads ... caused people to dance together."[96]

Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra: 1942–1945

At the peak of his civilian career in 1942, Miller decided to join the armed forces, which meant forsaking an income of about $20,000 per week with his civilian band, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra (equivalent to $330,000 per week in 2022). At 38, married and needing corrective eyeglasses, Miller was classified 3-A for the draft and unlikely to be called to service.[97][98][15]

He first applied for a commission in the US Navy but was turned down. At the time, the Navy was dealing with a scandal concerning celebrity commissions in exchange for draft avoidance. This had nothing to do with Miller but prevented the Navy from acting on his application. (p. 25-26).[99][3]

Miller then applied to the US Army with whom he had privately explored the possibility of enlisting. During a March 1942 visit to Washington, Miller had met with officials of the Army Bureau of Public Relations and Army Air Forces.(p. 24)[99][3] On August 12, 1942, Miller sent a three-page letter to General Charles Young of the Army Service Forces, outlining his interest in “streamlining modern military music” and to express his “sincere desire to do a real job for the Army that is not actuated by any personal draft problem. General Young forwarded Miller’s letter to Gen. Brehon Somervell, commander of Army Service Forces who approved Miller’s application. The Army notified Miller of his commission on September 8, 1942. He received a one-month delay to settle his business affairs.[citation needed]

Miller made his final commercial broadcast for Chesterfield Cigarettes on September 24, 1942. At the end of the program, he introduced competitor Harry James as his successor on the series, a gesture that a grateful Harry James never forgot. On September 26, Miller made his final civilian broadcast on the Blue Network Coca Cola Victory parade of Spotlight Bands. (pp.28-33) [100][3] Glenn Miller and his Orchestra gave their final performance at Central Theater in Passaic, New Jersey on September 27, 1942.[3][15]

On October 7, 1942, Miller reported to the Seventh Service Command at Omaha as a captain in the Army Specialist Corps. Following a one-month ASC training course at Fort Meade, Maryland, he transferred to the Army Air Forces (AAF) on November 25, 1942, by order of General Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold. Miller was initially assigned to the AAF Southeast Flying Training Command at Maxwell Field, Alabama for orientation as assistant special service officer, traveling to different AAF training bases in the region to learn the mission of the training command. There, he appeared on the nationwide NBC “Army Hour” broadcast, originated from WSFA, Montgomery. He also appeared over WAPI radio Birmingham, performing with the Rhythmaires, a 15-piece base band. (pp. 34–36)[100]

Effective January 1, 1943, Miller was assigned to the headquarters of the AAF Technical Training Command (TTC) at Knollwood Field, Southern Pines, North Carolina. Reporting to Gen. Walter R. Weaver, Miller became director of bands for the AAFTTC. Miller’s recommendation for an AAFTTC bands program was approved. Detached to the AAF Training Center at Atlantic City, New Jersey, Miller screened personnel for assignment to various AAF base bands across the nation and recruited many for an elite unit that he would direct himself. The AAF had established its First Radio Production Unit and Orchestra to broadcast from Hollywood, commanded by Maj. Eddie Dunstedter with musical director M/Sgt. Felix Slatkin. Miller would form and direct the Second AAF Radio Production Unit and Orchestra, broadcasting and recording from New York. Miller’s unit was authorized on March 20, 1943 and billeted at the AAF Training School at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Its personnel were a talented mix of jazz musicians from major big bands and musicians from leading symphony orchestras. Miller would successfully attempt to fuse jazz, popular music and light classics, including strings, which was an evolutionary step beyond his civilian band. (pp. 42–48)[99][3]

Broadcasting and recording from New York, the Miller unit broadcast “I Sustain the Wings.” This weekly series was first carried by CBS starting on June 5, 1943 and then by NBC from September 18, 1943 through June 10, 1944. Miller’s unit was succeeded on the series by the AAFTC orchestra directed by M/Sgt. Harry Bluestone, when the Miller band deployed overseas. The Miller unit resumed the series when they returned from the European Theater in August 1945. The Miller unit also recorded V-Discs at RCA Victor studios, and recorded broadcasts for the Office of War Information and Armed Forces Radio Service, including “Music from America” and “Uncle Sam Presents." (pp. 49–50)[99][3]

In addition to the full concert orchestra, Miller's AAF Training Command organization included a marching band for base activities and a jazz band led by T/Sgt. Ray McKinley, the popular civilian bandleader and drummer. Initially designated the 418th AAF Band, Miller’s unit was redesignated the Second AAF Radio Production Unit on December 6, 1943. At that time, base band duties transferred to the 708th AAF Band, a unit of standby musicians separate from the radio orchestra. Miller’s marching band became famous by using jeeps with drums and string bass aboard for public performances. Miller also famously got into a musical argument with Army purists by performing marching arrangements of jazz, including “The Saint Louis Blues” and “Blues in the Night,” as opposed to traditional Sousa military marches. The AAF endorsed Miller’s modern approach. (pp. 51–52) [99][3]

On May 24, 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower sent a cable to Washington requesting transfer of the Miller AAF unit for the purposes of radio broadcasting and morale. With the impending D-Day invasion of northwest Europe, the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) was establishing a combined allied radio broadcasting service. Eisenhower cited the Miller organization as the “only organization capable of performing the mission required.” The Army Air Forces approved the deployment under the condition that the unit remain under AAF control. Miller and radio producer Sgt. Paul Dudley flew to London on June 19 and the band followed aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth, which was serving as a troopship. (pp. 68–75)[99][3]

Upon arrival in London, the unit was initially billeted at Sloane Court, Chelsea. This was a temporary assignment because Miller had previously arranged for permanent quarters in Bedford. Because of the V-1 flying bomb assault that was underway, SHAEF determined it better to house the band where the BBC had moved operations during the Blitz of 1940-41. In Bedford, the Miller unit would use facilities developed for Sir Adrian Boult and the BBC Symphony. Prior to the band’s arrival, Miller met with SHAEF and BBC officials to coordinate broadcasting plans, including the BBC Director of the new Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme (AEFP), Maurice Gorham, SHAEF Director of Broadcasting, American Col. Edward Kirby, and Deputy Director of SHAEF Broadcasting, British Lt. Col. David Niven. They became Miller’s chain of command.

His distinguished orchestra was attached to SHAEF in London, and was quartered at Milton Ernest near Bedford, England.[4] When the band arrived in London, they were quartered in a BBC Radio office at 25 Sloane Court.[4] Unfortunately, this was in the middle of "Buzz Bomb Alley," an area of sleepless nights because of the constant barrage of German flying V-1 bombs.[4] Miller arranged for new quarters and transportation to move to Bedford on Sunday, July 2, 1944.[4] The next morning, a buzz bomb landed in front of their old quarters, destroyed the building, and killed more than 100 people,[4] which included WACs among the seventy-five American personnel lost. None were Miller band members.[4][3][99] Miller told Lieutenant Don Haynes, "As long as [the Miller Luck] stays with us, we have nothing to worry about."[4][15][25][24]

On July 9, 1944, Miller’s 51-piece orchestra and production personnel started broadcasting a series of musical programs over the AEFP under BBC technical supervision. The programs included: “The American Band of the AEF’” (full orchestra), “Swing Shift” (T/Sgt. Ray McKinley dance orchestra), “Uptown Hall” (Sgt. Mel Powell jazz quartet), “Strings With Wings” (Sgt. George Ockner, concertmaster and the string section), “Song by Sgt. Johnny Desmond” (vocalist with orchestra directed by M/Sgt. Norman Leyden) and “Piano Parade” (piano solos by Pvt. Jack Rusin and Sgt. Mel Powell). The orchestra also appeared for the Office of War Information’s Voice of America European outlet. The American Broadcasting Station in Europe (ABSIE) broadcast daily to occupied Europe and Germany. One of its German language programs was “Music for the Wehrmacht,” in which Miller made announcements in phonetic German scripts with a German-speaking announcer named “Isle,” who was actually ABSIE announcer Gloria Wagner. Sgt. Johnny Desmond sang vocals in German on this series. (pp. 118–119, pp. 150–156)[3][99]

In England, the band kept an extensive schedule of personal appearances at primarily American air bases. Visiting American celebrities Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore appeared on their radio programs. Shore joined Miller for a recording session at Abbey Road Studios, where the orchestra recorded their ABSIE German language programs.[3]

Military service personnel of all ranks enjoyed the band. Their concert at Wycombe Abbey, England at Eighth Air Force Headquarters, was filmed by American Forces Network on July 29, 1944.  General James H. Doolittle, Commanding General of the Eighth Air Force, showed his appreciation as he famously announced, "Captain Miller, next to a letter from home, your band is the greatest morale booster in the European Theater.” (pp. 121–142) This film is now in the care of the National Archives. (RG 342-USAF-49520 (film), NARA; Eighth Air Force, 520.071, A5835, AFHRA).[3][99][4][101][25]

During November 1944, Miller and Niven sought and received approval to move the unit from England to France. By this time, SHAEF had relocated to Versailles. It was determined that reliable radio broadcasting could be accomplished from Paris and that the Miller orchestra could be seen in person at Paris-area hospitals and by ground troops on leave from the front lines. The move was set for mid-December. As a precaution, the Miller organization had to prerecord eighty hours of broadcasts prior to moving, in addition to their normal schedule. Meanwhile, preparations in France were behind schedule. On December 11, 1944, Niven ordered Miller to replace his executive officer, Lt. Donald Haynes, to fly ahead and complete arrangements before the entire group came across. (pp. 190–210)[3][99]

Death

 
US Army Air Force UC-64
 
Miller's memorial headstone at Arlington National Cemetery

The AAF band completed their pre-recordings and regular broadcasts on Tuesday, December 12, 1944, and prepared for the anticipated move to France. As per Niven’s order, Miller was booked on a scheduled Air Transport Command passenger flight from London-Bovingdon to Paris-Orly on Thursday, December 14.[99]

Miller was on standby for an earlier flight on December 13, but it was canceled due to bad weather in France. His reservation on December 14 was also canceled. Miller was frustrated and impatient, fearing that arrangements would not be made in time to accommodate the movement of his unit to France. On a telephone call to Haynes, he learned that a mutual acquaintance, Lieutenant Colonel Norman Baessell of the Eighth Air Force Service Command at Milton Ernest, was flying to France on December 15. It was to be aboard a Noorduyn UC-64A Norseman assigned to him and piloted by Flight Officer John Stuart Morgan. Baessell invited Miller to join them.[99]

Miller’s travel orders did not authorize him to board a “casual” flight and he did not report his intentions to his chain of command, so SHAEF was in the dark concerning Miller’s whereabouts. Although AAF and RAF combat missions flew that day, as well as numerous transport planes, the RAF Training Unit at Twinwood Field, near Bedford, had stood down. But the aerodrome was open. At 13:45 Morgan landed at Twinwood, boarded Baessell and Miller, and took off at 13:55. The UC-64 and its occupants were never seen again. The next morning, the Battle of the Bulge began. The Eighth Air Force and SHAEF did not realize that the UC-64 with Miller aboard was missing until three days later, on Monday, December 18, 1944. (pp. 210–242)[99]

Upon realizing the airplane and Miller were missing, Orvil Anderson, Deputy Commander for Operations of the Eighth Air Force, who was married to Miller’s cousin Maude Miller Anderson, ordered a search and investigation.[25][15] Meanwhile, Miller’s unit had flown safely from England to France aboard three C-47 transports and prepared to begin their broadcasting and concert duties. Since they were scheduled for a Christmas Day broadcast from Paris to England and via shortwave to the United States, news of Miller’s whereabouts would have to be released. AAF Headquarters in Washington, D.C. notified Miller’s wife, Helen, of his disappearance on December 23, 1944, with an in-person visit to their home by two senior officers and a telephone call from Gen. H. H. Arnold. On December 24, 1944 at 18:00 BST, SHAEF announced Miller’s disappearance to the press, stressing that no members of his unit were with him aboard the missing airplane.[99]

The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra appeared as scheduled on December 25, 1944, conducted by Jerry Gray. The unit continued to broadcast and appear throughout Europe through V-E Day and until August 1945. It received a Unit Citation from Gen. Eisenhower. Returning home, the unit resumed its “I Sustain the Wings” series over NBC.[3]

On November 13, 1945, the AAF Band appeared at the National Press Club for its final concert, which was attended by President Harry Truman and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. When the band appeared to the strains of Miller’s theme “Moonlight Serenade,” the president stood and led the audience in a spontaneous round of applause. The band was congratulated for a job “well done” in person by General Eisenhower and General Arnold.[3][99][102]

Their last performance was the I Sustain the Wings broadcast at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., on NBC radio on November 17, 1945.[4] Its personnel were gradually discharged, and the unit was disestablished in January 1946.[4][3][25]

Condolences

Helen Miller accepted her husband's Bronze Star Medal at a ceremony at Miller's New York business office on March 23, 1945[99] (Glenn Miller Declassified, p. 304). When Miller was officially declared dead in December 1945, Helen received a formal letter of condolence and appreciation from Gen. H. H. Arnold.[99] (Glenn Miller Declassified, pp. xv-xvi) When Major General Anderson returned from Europe, he visited Helen Miller and informed her of the inquiry findings. (Glenn Miller Declassified, p 322).[99][4]

On January 20, 1945, an Eighth Air Force Board of Inquiry in England determined that the UC-64 airplane went down over the English Channel due to a combination of human error, mechanical failure and weather. Remains of the UC-64 and its passengers have never been found. (pp. 269–338).[99][4] The three officers were officially declared dead on the standard year and a day after they disappeared. This was published in a 1946 Army publication showing that Miller has a Finding of Death (FOD). He was missing in action (MIA) on December 15, 1944, and his remains were not recoverable.[4]

Names on tablets of the missing

Miller's name is engraved as Alton G. Miller on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial run by the American Battle Monuments Commission in Cambridge, England.[4] The names of Flight Officer John R. S. Morgan and Lieutenant Colonel Norman Baessell are also carved there. Many Americans who died in the Second World War in Europe are buried there. On behalf of Miller's family and the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society, an Air Force wreath ceremony was conducted there on the 50th anniversary of their deaths, December 15, 1994. A moment of silence was held there and at Arlington National Cemetery.[103]

Memorial headstone

At his daughter's request nearly 50 years later, an official, government-issued memorial headstone was placed for Major Alton Glenn Miller, US Army (Air Corps), in memorial section H at the Army-run Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia in 1992.[4] A trombone, 464-A, and the words "Bronze Star Medal" are carved on the back of the white marble marker.[4]

Memorial tree

A living memorial of the entire unit can be seen from there on Wilson Drive. The "Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra was in service from March 20, 1943 to January 15, 1946"[4][16] is engraved on the black granite marker in front of their memorial American Holly.[4][16] The marker has etchings of a trombone and the patches of Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) and the Army Air Forces (AAF) on it. Before being etched in stone, the band's title was verified by the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Veterans Association and its president, Norman Leyden (arranger, clarinetist), Arlington National Cemetery, Army and Air Force historian Kathy Shenkle, the Glenn Miller Archives at the University of Colorado at Boulder,[3] the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society, the US Army (Historians and Band), and the US Air Force (Historians and Band).[16]

On behalf of the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra veterans, a memorial American Holly tree was dedicated in Section 13 along Wilson Drive near Miller's memorial headstone on the 50th anniversary of his death, December 15, 1994.[4][103] The American Holly is meant to remind visitors of the tune "American Patrol".[4] "Taps" was sounded at the wreath ceremony, memorial service and living memorial tree dedication.[4] A moment of silence took place both at Arlington and Cambridge. The Secretary of the Air Force was the main speaker.[4][103] Attendees included Sergeant Emanuel Wishnow (viola), other unit veterans, Miller's family, military service members, US senators, Glenn Miller Archives founder and curator C.F. Alan Cass, and members of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society.[4][103] The Jazz Ambassadors of the US Army Field Band performed at the luncheon at Fort Myer that followed the ceremony.[4][103] One of Miller's trombones was displayed on stage.[103] The Airmen of Note and the Army Blues had performances elsewhere during the day.[4] The US Air Force Band (with their orchestra) played a 50th anniversary memorial concert that night and on tour for the next year.[4][103] The Coast Guard Band and Marine Corps Band commanders joined the other bands in sending written greetings.[4][103] On the 75th anniversary on December 15, 2019, Ms. Kathy Shenkle represented them all at a wreath ceremony there with wreaths provided by Wreaths Across America.[4]

The conclusive document concerning the military career and disappearance of Miller appeared during 2017 in the book “Glenn Miller Declassified” by Dennis M. Spragg, director of the Glenn Miller Archives. On behalf of the Glenn Miller Estate and with the full cooperation of American and British authorities, all relevant and many new documents concerning the circumstances of the accident were discovered and published, including the inquiry findings of January 20, 1945. Miller had no other duties than as a musical and broadcasting officer. His high profile and schedule ruled out any clandestine role as later speculated by sensationalists. He was not the victim of foul play or friendly fire. All conspiracy theories surrounding his death were therefore debunked before December 15, 2019, the 75th anniversary of his death.[99]

In 2019, the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) was reported to be investigating a report that Miller’s airplane was possibly discovered many miles west of its required flight path but nothing further has been reported or found. Given modern technology, a well-funded and patient exploration could possibly find and identify the debris of the airplane along the required air transport corridor between Langney Point (Beachy Head) and St. Valery, France.  [100][104][105]

Civilian band legacy

Miller and his music became an institution as Miller wished. His music is still played worldwide by professional and amateur musicians every day, including BBC radio.[4]

The Miller estate authorized an official Glenn Miller legacy or ghost band in 1946, the Glenn Miller Orchestra. This band was led by Tex Beneke, former tenor saxophonist and a singer for the civilian band. It had a makeup similar to the Army Air Forces Band: It included a large string section, and at least initially, about two-thirds of the musicians were alumni of either the civilian or AAF orchestras.[106] The orchestra's official public début was at the Capitol Theatre on Broadway, where it opened for a three-week engagement on January 24, 1946.[107] Future television and film composer Henry Mancini was the band's pianist and one of the arrangers.[108] This ghost band played to very large audiences all across the United States, including a few dates at the Hollywood Palladium in 1947, where the original Miller band played in 1941.[109] A website concerning the history of the Hollywood Palladium noted "[even] as the big band era faded, the Tex Beneke and Glenn Miller Orchestra concert at the Palladium resulted in a record-breaking crowd of 6,750 dancers."[110] By 1949, economics dictated that the string section be dropped.[111] This band recorded for RCA Victor, just as the original Miller band did.[111] Beneke was struggling with how to expand the Miller sound and also how to achieve success under his own name. What began as the "Glenn Miller Orchestra Under the Direction of Tex Beneke" finally became "The Tex Beneke Orchestra". By 1950, Beneke and the Miller estate parted ways.[112] The break was acrimonious,[113] although Beneke is now listed by the Miller estate as a former leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra,[114] and his role is now acknowledged on the orchestra's website.[115]

When Miller was alive, many bandleaders such as Bob Chester imitated his style.[116] By the early 1950s, various bands were again copying the Miller style of clarinet-led reeds and muted trumpets, notably Ralph Flanagan,[117] Jerry Gray,[118] and Ray Anthony.[119] This, coupled with the success of The Glenn Miller Story (1953), inspired the Miller estate to ask Ray McKinley to lead a new ghost band called the Glenn Miller Orchestra.[111] This 1956 band is the original version of the current ghost band that still tours the United States today.[120] The official Glenn Miller Orchestra for the United States is currently under the direction of Nick Hilscher.[121] The officially sanctioned Glenn Miller Orchestra for the United Kingdom has toured and recorded under the leadership of Ray McVay.[122] The official Glenn Miller Orchestra for Europe has been led by Wil Salden since 1990.[123] The Official Glenn Miller Orchestra for Scandinavia has been led by Jan Slottenäs since 2010.[124]

Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra legacy

The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra's long-term legacy has carried on with the Airmen of Note,[4][125] a band within the United States Air Force Band.[4] " The Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force. Stationed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., it is one of six musical ensembles that form The US Air Force Band."[125] Created in 1950 to continue the tradition of Major Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces dance band, the current band consists of 18 active-duty musicians, including one vocalist. This band was created in 1950 from smaller groups within the Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, DC, and continues to play jazz music for the Air Force community and the general public. The legacy also continues through The United States Air Forces in Europe Band,[4][125] stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.[126] Today, every branch of the US armed forces has a big band component.[4] This includes: The Ambassadors in US Army Air Forces Europe, The US Army Band's Army Blues, the US Army Field Band's Jazz Ambassadors, and the US Navy Commodores. The US Coast Guard has one musical organization to perform all types of music.[4] That includes a Coast Guard musical unit called the Guardians. The Coast Guard Band and Yale University bands performed a joint concert for the 75th anniversary of Miller's death.[4][127][128] The military bands consist of units such as concert bands, marching bands, jazz orchestras, small combos, and elements that play swing, rock, country, and bluegrass.[4] Miller is considered to be the father of all modern United States military bands.[4]

Miller "was a stickler for details and accuracy and always the truth. How delighted he would have been with Ed Polic's superbly documented report," wrote George Simon as he recommended, The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band: Sustineo Alas / I Sustain the Wings to readers of the American Reference Books Annual. In 1314 pages, Polic covers a "small but significant period of Glenn Miller's life and music, from his enlistment in 1942 and the beginning of his [Army Air Forces Orchestra (band for short)] in 1943, through its end in late 1945, giving an overall history of the band and a detailed recounting of the day-by-day activities of the band."[129]

Posthumous events

Numerous archives, museums and memorials in the United States and England are devoted to Miller.[130] Herb Miller, Miller's brother, led his own band in the United States and England until the late 1980s.[131][132]

In 1953, Universal-International pictures released The Glenn Miller Story, starring James Stewart; Ray Eberle, Marion Hutton, and Tex Beneke neither appear in nor are referred to in it.[133]

Annual festivals celebrating Miller's legacy are held in two of the towns most associated with his youth, Clarinda, Iowa, and Fort Morgan, Colorado.[citation needed]

Since 1975, the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society has held its annual Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa.[4] The festival's highlights include performances by the official Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Nick Hilscher, and many other civilian and military jazz bands. It also includes visits to the restored Miller home, the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum, historical displays from the Glenn Miller Archives at the University of Colorado, lectures and presentations about Miller's life, and a scholarship competition for young classical and jazz musicians.[134]

 
Glenn Miller SwingFest logo

In 1989, Miller's daughter bought the house where Miller was born in Clarinda.[2] The Glenn Miller Foundation was created to oversee its restoration. It is now part of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum. The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society celebrated when the US Postal Service issued a Glenn Miller postage stamp in 1996.[135]

Every summer since 1996, the city of Fort Morgan, Colorado, has hosted a public event called the Glenn Miller SwingFest. Miller graduated from Fort Morgan High School, where he played football and other sports, was on the yearbook staff, was in the orchestra, and formed his own band with classmates. Events include musical performances and swing dancing, community picnics, lectures, and fundraising for scholarships to attend the School for the Performing Arts,[136] a nonprofit dance, voice, piano, percussion, guitar, violin, and drama studio program in Fort Morgan. Each year, about 2,000 people attend this summer festival, which serves to introduce younger generations to the music Miller made famous, as well as the style of dance and dress popular in the big-band era.

The Glenn Miller Archives[3] at the University of Colorado at Boulder houses many of Miller's recordings, gold records and other memorabilia. It is also open to scholarly research and the general public.[137][138] Formed by Alan Cass, the Glenn Miller Archives[3] includes the original manuscript of Miller's theme song, "Moonlight Serenade".[4][139]

In 1957, a Student Union Building was completed at the University of Colorado's Boulder campus and the ballroom was named the Glenn Miller Ballroom.[citation needed]

In 2002, the Glenn Miller Museum opened to the public at the former RAF Twinwood Farm, in Clapham, Bedfordshire, England.[140]

Miller's name is engraved as Alton G. Miller on the "Tablets of the Missing" at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial run by the American Battle Monuments Commission in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom.[4] The names of Flight Officer John R. S. Morgan and Lieutenant Colonel Norman Baessell are also carved there.

Miller's government-issued, white marble, memorial headstone is located in Memorial Section H (# 464-A) by Wilson Drive at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.[4] The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Memorial American Holly can be seen from there.[16][141]

A Miller fan, Peter Cofrancesco bought a gravesite at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, and placed a black granite cenotaph there.[142]  He has no relationship to Major Miller's family.  Here is the inscription along with corrections that could be made if it is ever replaced or moved to a non-grave location.  An etching of Major Miller in uniform / IN MEMORY / Major A. [ Alton] Glenn Miller / 0505273 / US Army Air Force [Forces] - W. W. II / Born- Clarinda, Iowa -  /  March 1, 1904 / Missing in Action [ / Died] / Europe, Dec. 15, 1944 / 1943-1944 / 418th A.A.F.T.T.C. Band- [AKA Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra] / Yale University- New Haven, CT. / I SUSTAIN THE WINGS / Sustineo Alas.[143]

Miller was awarded a Star for Recording on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.[4][144] The headquarters of the United States Air Forces in Europe Band at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, is named Glenn Miller Hall.[4]

On June 25, 1999, the Nebraska State Highway Commission unanimously agreed to name Nebraska Highway 97 between North Platte, where Miller attended elementary school, and Tryon, where the Miller family briefly lived, as Glenn Miller Memorial Highway.

Arranging staff and compositions

Miller had a staff of arrangers who wrote originals such as "String of Pearls" (written and arranged by Jerry Gray)[145] or took originals such as "In The Mood" (writing credit given to Joe Garland[146] and arranged by Eddie Durham[147]) and "Tuxedo Junction" (written by bandleader Erskine Hawkins[148] and arranged by Jerry Gray[149]) and arranged them for the Miller band to either record or broadcast. Miller's staff of arrangers in his civilian band, who handled the bulk of the work, were Jerry Gray (a former arranger for Artie Shaw), Bill Finegan (a former arranger for Tommy Dorsey),[150] Billy May[151] and to a much smaller extent, George Williams,[152] who worked very briefly with the band as well as Andrews Sisters arranger Vic Schoen[153]

According to arranger and conductor Norman Leyden, he and others did arrangements "for Miller in the service, including Jerry Gray, Ralph Wilkinson, Mel Powell, and Steve Steck."[4] In 1943, Miller wrote Glenn Miller's Method for Orchestral Arranging, published by his own company the Mutual Music Society in New York,[4][154] a 116-page book with illustrations and scores that explains how he wrote his musical arrangements.[4]

Discography

Main article: Glenn Miller discography

Awards, decorations and honors

Military awards and decorations

Miller, US Army (Air Corps) earned a Bronze Star Medal, World War II Victory Medal; American Campaign Medal; European, African and Middle Eastern Campaign Medal; and Marksman Badge with Carbine and Pistol Bars.[4]

 
 
 
 
 
  
 

Bronze Star Medal Citation

 
Bust outside the Corn Exchange in Bedford, England, where Miller played in World War II

"Major Alton Glenn Miller (Army Serial No. 0505273), Air Corps, United States Army, for meritorious service in connection with military operations as Commander of the Army Air Force Band (Special), from 9 July 1944 to 15 December 1944. Major Miller, through excellent judgment and professional skill, conspicuously blended the abilities of the outstanding musicians, comprising the group, into a harmonious orchestra whose noteworthy contribution to the morale of the armed forces has been little less than sensational. Major Miller constantly sought to increase the services rendered by his organization, and it was through him that the band was ordered to Paris to give this excellent entertainment to as many troops as possible. His superior accomplishments are highly commendable and reflect the highest credit upon himself and the armed forces of the United States."[4][102][155]

Grammy Hall of Fame

Miller had three recordings that were posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance."

Glenn Miller: Grammy Hall of Fame Awards[156]
Year recorded Title Genre Label Year inducted Notes
1939 "Moonlight Serenade" Jazz (single) RCA Bluebird 1991
1941 "Chattanooga Choo Choo" Jazz (single) RCA Bluebird 1996
1939 "In the Mood" Jazz (single) RCA Bluebird 1983

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "All Iowa, US, Births and Christenings Index, 1800-1999 results for Alton Glen Miller". Ancestry.com. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d . Glenn Miller Birthplace Society. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Dennis M. Spragg, Glenn Miller Archives, Glenn Miller Collections, American Music Research Center, University of Colorado Boulder, designated guardian in perpetuity for the property of the Glenn Miller Estate; Historian and Life Member, Glenn Miller Birthplace Society, Clarinda, Iowa. Retrieved October 19, 2022. https://www.colorado.edu/amrc/glenn-miller-collections
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm Shenkle, Kathy, Glenn Miller: America's Musical Patriot, US Army, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, 1993 which includes information used for exhibits, news articles (Iowa, Colorado and military papers), and the ANC website. Retrieved September 11, 2022. The Army refers to Glenn Miller as having a finding of death (FOD) and having been missing in action (MIA) with remains not recoverable since December 15, 1944. "Glenn Miller". Arlingtoncemetery.mil. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  5. ^ Shenkle, Kathy. Interviewed on Glenn Miller's Birthday on WPFW-Radio by Askia Muhammad, Washington, D.C. March 1, 1995. https://afro.com/in-memoriam-renowned-black-journalist-broadcaster-askia-muhammad-dies/
  6. ^ "Glenn Miller's Top 10 Hits". American Music Research Center. September 22, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  7. ^ Team, Retro Gazing (August 16, 2021). "What Is Glenn Miller's Most Popular Song?". Retro Gazing. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  8. ^ "You Will Not Believe How Many Hits the Glenn Miller Orchestra Will Perform on Wednesday". Westmount at Three Fountains. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  9. ^ "Song artist 11 – Glenn Miller". Tsort.info. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  10. ^ "The Billboard Music Popularity Chart – Week Ending January 2, 1942". The Billboard. 54 (2): 12. 10 January 1942. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  11. ^ "ACHIEVEMENTS". Graceland.com. March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  12. ^ Whitburn, Joel. Pop Memories (1900–1940). Record Research.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2015). Pop Hits Singles and Albums, 1940–1954. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-198-7.
  14. ^ . Archived from the original on September 12, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d e Shenkle, Kathy. Legacy, Special Festival Extra, Clarinda Herald-Journal, Clarinda, Iowa. 1993-1994.
  16. ^ a b c d e Leyden, Norman; Shenkle, Kathy (1994). "Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Veterans Association Memorial Tree Request". Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Veterans Association. Portland, Oregon.
  17. ^ "US Air Forces in Europe Band". Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  18. ^ "Glenn Miller". biography.com. September 3, 2020.
  19. ^ Shenkle, Kathy. Washington Historian Vacations at Glenn Miller Festival, Brings Own Exhibits. Clarinda, Iowa: Clarinda Herald-Journal, 1993, 1994
  20. ^ a b US Army Air Forces, MIA / FOD, World War II to 1946, Finding of Death (FOD) list includes Major Alton Glenn Miller, US Army (Air Corps)
  21. ^ "Tablets of the Missing list". Cambridge American Cemetery. Retrieved October 31, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Army (and Air Force) Historian Kathy Shenkle Interview for On the Road with Charles Kuralt, CBS Sunday Morning, 1993
  23. ^ Shenkle, Kathy. Interview of Historian who attends Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda. Des Moines Register, 1994
  24. ^ a b Shenkle, Kathy. Exhibit:  Glenn Miller: America's Musical Hero, US Army Center of Military History Archives, Fort McNair, DC,1993.
  25. ^ a b c d e Shenkle, Kathy. Glenn Miller: America's Musical Hero, World War II Veterans article series, Pentagram, Department of Defense, Washington, DC,1993.
  26. ^ a b c d e Miller, Glen / Glenn (ed.). Memories: 1919-1920; Memories: 1920-1921. Fort Morgan High School Library and Fort Morgan City Museum, Colorado: Fort Morgan High School.
  27. ^ a b Miller, Alton Glen (Glenn) (ed.). Memories: 1919-1920, and Memories: 1920-1921. Fort Morgan, Colorado: Fort Morgan High School.
  28. ^ Shenkle, Kathy, Historian, US Air Force, US Army, Arlington National Cemetery. ANC Memorials record and 1994 Historians Log Books stored at ANC in Arlington, Virginia, and at the Center of Military History, US Army, Washington D.C. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  29. ^ a b Yanow, Scott (2001). Classic Jazz. San Francisco: Backbeat. ISBN 9780879306595.
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  31. ^ "Famous Sigma Nu's" September 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Oregonstate.edu. Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  32. ^ . The Schillinger System. Archived from the original on February 19, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  33. ^ . Music.us. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  34. ^ Metronome, 1928, Volume 44, Page 42.
  35. ^ "Benny Goodman's Boys". www.redhotjazz.com. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  36. ^ "History". www.glennmillerorchestra.se. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  37. ^ Connor, D. Russell; Hicks, Warren W. (1969). BG on the Record: A Bio-discography of Benny Goodman (5 ed.). New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House. ISBN 0-87000-059-4.
  38. ^ Shell, Niel; Shilkret, Barbara, eds. (2004). Nathaniel Shilkret: Sixty Years in the Music Business. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow. ISBN 0-8108-5128-8.
  39. ^ Stockdale, Robert L. "Tommy Dorsey on the Side". Studies in Jazz. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow. 19.
  40. ^ . Red Hot Jazz. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  41. ^ Simon, George T. (1980). Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (1st paperback ed.). New York: Da Capo. p. 42. ISBN 0-306-80129-9.
  42. ^ Simon (1980) says in Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, on page 42, when he asked Miller years later what recordings he made were his favorites, he specifically singled out the Mound City Blue Blowers sessions.
  43. ^ Twomey, John. "Who Was Glenn Miller?". Jazzsight.com. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  44. ^ a b c Simon (1980), pp. 65–66.
  45. ^ Simon (1980), p. 9.
  46. ^ "Annie's Cousin Fanny" was recorded for Decca and Brunswick three times.
  47. ^ a b . Redhotjazz.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  48. ^ Simon, George T. (August 22, 1980). Glenn Miller & His Orchestra. Da Capo Press. pp. 105–. ISBN 978-0-306-80129-7. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  49. ^ Spink, George. . Archived from the original on February 11, 2010.
  50. ^ Simon (1980), p. 122.
  51. ^ Simon, George T. (1971). Simon Says: The Sights and Sounds of the Swing Era. New York: Galahad Books. p. 491. ISBN 0-88365-001-0.
  52. ^ Simon (1980), p. 143.
  53. ^ Twomey, Jazzsight.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  54. ^ Schuller, Gunther (1991). The swing era: the development of jazz, 1930–1945. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 667. ISBN 0-19-507140-9.
  55. ^ Simon (1980), p. 170.
  56. ^ . Time. November 27, 1939. Archived from the original on July 12, 2007.
  57. ^ Glennmillerorchestra.com. Glennmillerorchestra.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  58. ^ Simon (1980), p. 91.
  59. ^ The entire output of Chesterfield-sponsored radio programs Glenn Miller did between 1939 and 1942 were recorded by the Glenn Miller organization on acetate discs.
  60. ^ Simon (1980), pp. 197, 314.
  61. ^ Miller, Glenn, A Legendary Performer, RCA, 1939/1991.
  62. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 4. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  63. ^ "Band Bio", The Modernaires (October 20, 2000). Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  64. ^ "Marion Hutton, 67, Vocalist With Glenn Miller Orchestra". The New York Times. January 12, 1987. p. 1. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  65. ^ Glenn Miller » Biography December 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Legacy Recordings (copyright 2011). Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  66. ^ "Ray Eberle" September 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Solid!.
  67. ^ Kay Starr Biography, Members.tripod.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  68. ^ . Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2008.
  69. ^ Solid! – Dorothy Claire May 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Parabrisas.com. Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  70. ^ Liner notes to RCA Vi LPT 6701 February 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, also see "Moonlight Serenade" by John Flower. (PDF). Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  71. ^ King ?, Pete. "Lynn Bari's Ghost Singer Pat Friday". Big Band Buddies. p. 1.
  72. ^ Variety, September 16, 1942.
  73. ^ "Glenn Miller: 'A Memorial, 1944–2004'", Big Band Library. Retrieved on July 29, 2011.
  74. ^ Simon (1980), p. 241.
  75. ^ For an example, see Time magazine from November 23, 1942. "U.S. jive epicures consider the jazz played by such famous name bands as Tommy Dorsey's or Glenn Miller's a low, commercial product", Time, Music: "Jive for Epicures". . Archived from the original on October 14, 2010.
  76. ^ Zammarchi, Fabrice (2005). A Life in The Golden Age of Jazz: A Biography of Buddy De Franco. Seattle: Parkside. pp. 232–234. ISBN 0-9617266-6-0.
  77. ^ Albertson, Chris, Major Glenn Miller and the Army Air Forces Band, 1943–1944, Bluebird/RCA, 1987. Liner notes.
  78. ^ Another reference by Miller's friend George T. Simon, states "[Miller] resented critics who focused almost entirely on his band's jazz or lack of it. (Leonard Feather was a pet peeve)[...]." see Simon, The Sights and Sounds of the Big Band Era (1971), p. 275.
  79. ^ . Archived from the original on March 20, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  80. ^ . Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
  81. ^ "Stride and Swing: The Enduring Appeal of Fats Waller and Glenn Miller". The New Yorker. 2004.
  82. ^ "Home". Arts on Campus.
  83. ^ a b Gary Giddins is a New York based jazz and film critic who has written for the Village Voice and the New York Sun. He won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Visions of Jazz: The First Century
  84. ^ "Biography – The Official Gary Giddins Website". Garygiddins.com. November 27, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  85. ^ a b c d Schuller, pp. 662, 670, 677.
  86. ^ Armstrong, Louis. "Reel to Reel". The Paris Review. Spring 2008: 63.
  87. ^ Zwerin, Mike (August 17, 1995). "George Shearing at 76:Still Holding His Own". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  88. ^ Keepnews, Peter (February 14, 2011). "George Shearing, 'Lullaby of Birdland' Jazz Virtuoso, Dies at 91". The New York Times. What [Shearing] was aiming for [...] was 'a full block sound, which, if it was scored for saxophones, would sound like the Glenn Miller sound. And coming at the end of the frenetic bebop era, the timing seemed to be right.'
  89. ^ Torme, Mel (1988). It Wasn't All Velvet. New York: Penguin. pp. 42–44. ISBN 0-86051-571-0.
  90. ^ Simon (1971), p. 359.
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  93. ^ "Buddy's Bio". Buddy DeFranco. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  94. ^ Zammarchi 238
  95. ^ DeFranco's favorite Miller recordings are "Skylark" and "Indian Summer" see Zammarchi 237
  96. ^ Zammarchi 237
  97. ^ "The Draft and World War II". National World War II Museum. Retrieved October 29, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  98. ^ "Deferments, "The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940" required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft. The Selective Service System defines the 3-A deferment as being for those "whose induction would result in hardship to persons who depend upon them for support." Miller's deferment fit in the 3-A category in several ways". Selective Service System. Retrieved October 29, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  99. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Spragg, Dennis (September 1, 2017). Glenn Miller Declassified. ISBN 9781612348957.
  100. ^ a b c "Glenn Miller Declassified, the definitive biography by Dennis M. Spragg". Dennismspragg.com. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  101. ^ National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington, DC (RG 342-USAF-49520 (film), NARA; Eighth Air Force, 520.071, A5835, Air Force Historical Research Agency - AFHRA, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama)
  102. ^ a b Shenkle, Kathy (1993). "Glenn Miller: America's Musical Patriot, US Army, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, 1993. Longer versions of this exhibit appeared on CBS Sunday Morning TV, WPFW radio, Clarinda Herald-Journal, Pentagram (DOD), and the Des Moines Register". militaryhonors.sid-hill.us/honors/hon-10b.htm. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
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  130. ^ In June 2009, it was announced that the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society in Clarinda, Iowa, was building a 5,600-foot museum to house "memorabilia from [Glenn Miller's] musical career". The museum in Glenn Miller's birthplace has been in the works since 1990, according to the USA Today article.
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  141. ^ The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra American Holly is Memorial tree number 78 in the file at this link / document https://www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Portals/0/Docs/Memorial%20Trees%20Updated%209-5-2014.pdf?ver=2020-08-27-190631-920
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  153. ^ Gottlieb, Jeff (January 8, 2000). "Vic Schoen, Musician and Composer, Dies at 83". Los Angeles Times.
  154. ^ "PBS – Jazz A Film By Ken Burns: Selected Artist Biography – Glenn Miller". PBS. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
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  156. ^ . Grammy.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2021.

Further reading

  • Bennett, Tony (1998). The Good Life. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-02469-8.
  • Butcher, Geoffrey (1997). Next to a Letter from Home. North Pomfret, Vt: Trafalgar Square. ISBN 0-7515-1078-5. Chattanooga Choo Choo-The Life and Times of the World-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra by Richard Grudens 2004 ISBN 1-57579-277-X
  • Friedwald, Will (1997). The Song Is You. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80742-4.
  • Flower, John (1972). Moonlight Serenade: a bio-discography of the Glenn Miller Civilian Band. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House. ISBN 0-87000-161-2.
  • Miller, Glenn (1943). Glenn Miller's Method for Orchestral Arranging. New York: Mutual Music Society. ASIN: B0007DMEDQ
  • Miller, Glenn (1927). Glenn Miller's 125 Jazz Breaks For Trombone. Chicago: Melrose Brothers Music Company.
  • Miller, Glenn (1939). Feist All-Star Series of Modern Rhythm Choruses Arranged By Glenn Miller For Trombone. New York: Leo J. Feist, Inc.
  • Newton, Wesley Phillips. "Launching a legend: Maxwell Field and Glenn Miller's Army Air Forces Band." Alabama Review 53.4 (2000): 271–96.
  • Polic, Edward F. The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band: Sustineo Alas / I Sustain the Wings (2 Volumes), Metuchen, N.J.: [New Brunswick, N.J.]: Scarecrow Press; Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University. 1989. ISBN 978-0810822696.
  • Simon, George Thomas (1980). Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. New York: Da Capo paperback. ISBN 0-306-80129-9.
  • Simon, George Thomas (1971). Simon Says. New York: Galahad. ISBN 0-88365-001-0.
  • Schuller, Gunther (1991). The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 1930–1945. Volume 2. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507140-9.
  • Spragg, Dennis M (2017). Glenn Miller Declassified. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-1612348957.
  • Sudhalter, Richard (1999). Lost Chords. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514838-X.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glenn Miller.

February 27, 2023
glenn, miller, this, article, about, swing, musician, other, uses, disambiguation, alton, glen, miller, march, 1904, december, 1944, american, band, founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone, player, recording, artist, before, during, world, when. This article is about the swing musician For other uses see Glenn Miller disambiguation Alton Glen Miller 1 March 1 1904 December 15 1944 1 2 3 4 5 was an American big band founder owner conductor composer arranger trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II when he was an officer in the US Army Air Forces 4 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was one of the most popular and successful bands of the 20th century and the big band era 6 7 8 His military group the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra 4 was also popular and successful 4 Glenn MillerMiller c 1942BornAlton Glen Miller 1904 03 01 March 1 1904Clarinda IowaDisappearedDecember 15 1944 aged 40 over English ChannelSpouseHelen Burger m 1928 wbr Musical careerGenresSwing music big bandOccupation s Bandleader musician arranger composerInstrument s TromboneYears active1923 1944Military careerAllegianceUnited StatesService wbr branchUnited States Army Air ForcesYears of service1942 1944RankMajorBattles warsWorld War II European TheaterAwardsBronze Star Medal posthumously 1945 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was the best selling recording band from 1939 to 1942 It did not have a string section but did have a slap bass in the rhythm section It was also a touring band that played multiple radio broadcasts nearly every day Their best selling records include Miller s iconic theme song Moonlight Serenade and the first gold record ever made Chattanooga Choo Choo The following tunes are also on that best seller list In the Mood Pennsylvania 6 5000 printed as Pennsylvania Six Five Thousand on record labels A String of Pearls Moonlight Cocktail At Last I ve Got a Gal In Kalamazoo American Patrol Tuxedo Junction Elmer s Tune Little Brown Jug and Anvil Chorus 9 Including Chattanooga Choo Choo five songs played by Miller and His Orchestra were number one hits for most of 1942 and can be found on the List of Billboard number one singles of 1942 10 In four years Miller scored 16 number one records and 69 top 10 hits more than Elvis Presley 40 11 and the Beatles in their careers 12 13 14 His musical legacy includes multiple recordings in the Grammy Hall of Fame His work has been performed by swing bands jazz bands and big bands worldwide for over 75 years 15 Miller is considered to be the father of the modern US military bands In 1942 he volunteered to join the US military to entertain troops during World War II and ended up in the US Army Air Forces 4 Their workload was just as heavy as the civilian band s had been With a full string section added to a big band the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra 16 was the forerunner of many US military big bands 17 4 Miller went missing in action MIA on December 15 1944 on a flight over the English Channel 4 In keeping with standard operating procedure for the US military services Miller was officially declared dead a year and a day later 18 4 19 An Army investigation led to an official finding of death for Miller Norman Baessell and John Morgan all of whom died on the same flight 20 All three officers are listed on the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge England 4 21 Since his body was not recoverable Miller was allowed to have a memorial headstone placed at the US Army operated Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Virginia 20 4 22 23 24 25 In February 1945 he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal 4 Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Success from 1938 to 1942 2 1 Bluebird Records and Glen Island Casino 2 2 Motion pictures 3 Critical reaction 4 Reaction from musical peers 5 Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra 1942 1945 6 Death 6 1 Condolences 6 2 Names on tablets of the missing 6 3 Memorial headstone 6 4 Memorial tree 7 Civilian band legacy 8 Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra legacy 9 Posthumous events 10 Arranging staff and compositions 11 Discography 12 Awards decorations and honors 12 1 Military awards and decorations 12 1 1 Bronze Star Medal Citation 12 2 Grammy Hall of Fame 13 See also 14 References 15 Further reading 16 External linksEarly life and career EditThe son of Mattie Lou nee Cavender Miller and Lewis Elmer Miller Alton Glen Miller was born in Clarinda Iowa 1 2 He added the second n to Glenn during high school 26 Like his father Lewis Elmer and his siblings Elmer Deane John Herbert and Emma Irene Miller went by his middle name Glenn 27 As Dennis Spragg of the Glenn Miller Archives 3 confirms Miller s use of his first name Alton was necessary for legal and military purposes which is logically why it shows up in formal documents such as his military documents driver s licenses tax returns etc 3 He is listed as Alton G Miller in the Army Air Forces section of the Tablets of the Missing in Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge England His name is engraved as Major Alton Glenn Miller US Army Air Corps on his Government issued G I memorial headstone in Memorial Section H at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Virginia His last military unit has a memorial tree in section 13 on Wilson Drive The American Holly was dedicated on December 15 1994 the 50th anniversary of Miller s death for the veterans of the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra 28 He attended grade school in North Platte in western Nebraska In 1915 his family moved to Grant City Missouri Around this time he had made enough money from milking cows to buy his first trombone and played in the town orchestra He played cornet and mandolin but he switched to trombone by 1916 29 In 1918 Miller and his family moved to Fort Morgan Colorado where he went to Fort Morgan High School In the fall of 1919 he joined the F M H S Maroons the high school football team that won the Northern Colorado American Football Conference in 1920 He was named Best Left End in Colorado in 1921 26 30 For two years Miller was one of the editors of his own high school yearbook Memories 26 In each of the yearbooks he edited his name was spelled both Glen with one n and Glenn with a double n 27 During his senior year he became so interested in dance band music that he formed a band with some classmates 4 The high school orchestra was an after school activity but he played there too 4 26 For a time classes in harmony piano violin and music appreciation were full but classes were discontinued 26 However by the time he graduated from high school in 1921 he had decided to become a professional musician 2 He missed his own graduation because he was performing out of town His mother gladly received his diploma for him 4 In 1923 Miller entered the University of Colorado at Boulder where he joined Sigma Nu fraternity 31 He spent most of his time away from school attending auditions and playing any gigs he could get including with Boyd Senter s band in Denver After failing three out of five classes he dropped out of school to pursue a career in music Ironically he failed Harmony 4 In New York City he studied the Schillinger system with Joseph Schillinger under whose tutelage he composed Miller s Tune Miller arranged that tune for big band and renamed it It became his signature theme Moonlight Serenade 32 In 1926 Miller toured with several groups landing a good spot in Ben Pollack s group in Los Angeles He also played for Victor Young which allowed him to be mentored by other professional musicians 33 In the beginning he was the main trombone soloist of the band but when Jack Teagarden joined Pollack s band in 1928 Miller found that his solos were cut drastically He realized that his future was in arranging and composing 29 He had a songbook published in Chicago in 1928 entitled 125 Jazz Breaks for Trombone by the Melrose Brothers 34 During his time with Pollack he wrote several arrangements He wrote his first composition Room 1411 with Benny Goodman and Brunswick Records released it as a 78 rpm record under the name Benny Goodman s Boys 35 In 1928 when the band arrived in New York City he sent for and married his college sweetheart Helen Burger He was a member of Red Nichols orchestra Red Nichols and his Five Pennies 4 in 1930 and because of Nichols he played in the pit bands of two Broadway shows Strike Up the Band and Girl Crazy That band included Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa 36 During the late 1920s and early 1930s Miller worked as a freelance trombonist in several bands On a March 21 1928 Victor Records session he played alongside Tommy Dorsey Benny Goodman and Joe Venuti in the All Star Orchestra directed by Nat Shilkret 37 38 39 He arranged and played trombone on several significant Dorsey brothers sessions for OKeh Records including The Spell of the Blues Let s Do It and My Kinda Love all with Bing Crosby on vocals On November 14 1929 40 vocalist Red McKenzie hired Miller to play on two records Hello Lola and If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight 41 42 Beside Miller were saxophonist Coleman Hawkins clarinetist Pee Wee Russell guitarist Eddie Condon and drummer Gene Krupa 43 In the early to mid 1930s Miller worked as a trombonist arranger and composer for the Dorsey Brothers first when they were a Brunswick studio group and later when they formed an ill fated orchestra 44 Miller composed the songs Annie s Cousin Fanny 45 46 47 Dese Dem Dose 44 47 Harlem Chapel Chimes and Tomorrow s Another Day for the Dorsey Brothers Band in 1934 and 1935 In 1935 he assembled an American orchestra for British bandleader Ray Noble 44 developing the arrangement of lead clarinet over four saxophones that became a characteristic of his big band Members of the Noble band included Claude Thornhill Bud Freeman and Charlie Spivak Miller made his first movie appearance in The Big Broadcast of 1936 as a member of the Ray Noble Orchestra performing Why Stars Come Out at Night The film included performances by Dorothy Dandridge and the Nicholas Brothers who would appear with Miller again in two movies for Twentieth Century Fox in 1941 and 1942 In 1937 Miller compiled several arrangements and formed his first band After failing to distinguish itself from the many bands of the time it broke up after its last show at the Ritz Ballroom in Bridgeport Connecticut on January 2 1938 48 Benny Goodman said in 1976 In late 1937 before his band became popular we were both playing in Dallas Glenn was pretty dejected and came to see me He asked What do you do How do you make it I said I don t know Glenn You just stay with it 49 Success from 1938 to 1942 EditMain article Glenn Miller Orchestra The Glenn Miller Orchestra Discouraged Miller returned to New York He realized that he needed to develop a unique sound and decided to make the clarinet play a melodic line with a tenor saxophone holding the same note while three other saxophones harmonized within a single octave George T Simon discovered a saxophonist named Wilbur Schwartz Miller hired Schwartz but had him play lead clarinet instead of the saxophone According to Simon Willie s tone and way of playing provided a fullness and richness so distinctive that none of the later Miller imitators could ever accurately reproduce the Miller sound 50 With this new sound combination Miller found a way to differentiate his band s style from that of many bands that existed in the late 1930s citation needed Miller talked about his style in the May 1939 issue of Metronome magazine You ll notice today some bands use the same trick on every introduction others repeat the same musical phrase as a modulation into a vocal We re fortunate in that our style doesn t limit us to stereotyped intros modulations first choruses endings or even trick rhythms The fifth sax playing the clarinet most of the time lets you know whose band you re listening to And that s about all there is to it 51 Bluebird Records and Glen Island Casino Edit 1939 Baltimore Hippodrome Ballroom concert poster In September 1938 the Miller band began recording for Bluebird a subsidiary of RCA Victor 52 Cy Shribman a prominent East Coast businessman financed the band 53 In the spring of 1939 the band s fortunes improved with a date at the Meadowbrook Ballroom in Cedar Grove New Jersey and more dramatically at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle New York According to author Gunther Schuller the Glen Island performance attracted a record breaking opening night crowd of 1800 54 The band s popularity grew 55 In 1939 Time magazine noted Of the 12 to 24 discs in each of today s 300 000 U S jukeboxes from two to six are usually Glenn Miller s 56 In 1940 the band s version of Tuxedo Junction sold 115 000 copies in the first week 57 Miller s success in 1939 culminated with an appearance at Carnegie Hall on October 6 with Paul Whiteman Benny Goodman and Fred Waring also on the schedule 58 From December 1939 to September 1942 Miller s band performed three times a week during a quarter hour broadcast for Chesterfield cigarettes on CBS radio 59 for the first 13 weeks with the Andrews Sisters and then on its own 60 On February 10 1942 RCA Victor presented Miller with the first gold record for Chattanooga Choo Choo 4 61 62 The Miller orchestra performed Chattanooga Choo Choo with his singers Gordon Tex Beneke Paula Kelly and the Modernaires 63 Other singers with this orchestra included Marion Hutton 64 Skip Nelson 65 Ray Eberle 66 and to a smaller extent Kay Starr 67 Ernie Caceres 68 Dorothy Claire 69 and Jack Lathrop 70 Pat Friday dubbed for Lynn Bari by singing her part in the Glenn Miller Orchestra in their two films Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives with Lynn Bari lip synching 71 First gold record award for Chattanooga Choo Choo presented to Miller by W Wallace Early of RCA Victor with announcer Paul Douglas on far left February 10 1942 Motion pictures Edit Miller and his band appeared in two Twentieth Century Fox films In 1941 s Sun Valley Serenade they were major members of the cast which also featured comedian Milton Berle and Dorothy Dandridge with the Nicholas Brothers in the show stopping song and dance number Chattanooga Choo Choo The Miller band returned to Hollywood to film 1942 s Orchestra Wives featuring Jackie Gleason playing a part as the group s bassist Though contracted to do a third movie for Fox Blind Date Miller entered the US Army and this film was never made 72 Critical reaction EditIn 2004 Miller orchestra bassist Trigger Alpert explained the band s success Miller had America s music pulse He knew what would please the listeners 73 Although Miller was popular many jazz critics had misgivings They believed that the band s endless rehearsals and according to critic Amy Lee in Metronome magazine letter perfect playing removed feeling from their performances 74 They also felt that Miller s brand of swing shifted popular music from the hot jazz of Benny Goodman and Count Basie to commercial novelty instrumentals and vocal numbers 75 After Miller died the Miller estate maintained an unfriendly stance toward critics who derided the band during his lifetime 76 Miller was often criticized for being too commercial His answer was I don t want a jazz band 77 78 Many modern jazz critics harbor similar antipathy In 1997 on a website administered by JazzTimes magazine Doug Ramsey considers him overrated Miller discovered a popular formula from which he allowed little departure A disproportionate ratio of nostalgia to substance keeps his music alive 79 80 81 Jazz critics Gunther Schuller 82 1991 and Gary Giddins 83 84 2004 have defended Miller from criticism In an article written for The New Yorker magazine in 2004 Giddins said these critics erred in denigrating Miller s music and that the popular opinion of the time should hold greater sway Miller exuded little warmth on or off the bandstand but once the band struck up its theme audiences were done for throats clutched eyes softened Can any other record match Moonlight Serenade for its ability to induce a Pavlovian slaver in so many for so long 83 Schuller notes The Miller sound was nevertheless very special and able to penetrate our collective awareness that few other sounds have 85 He compares it to Japanese Gagaku and Hindu music in its purity 85 Schuller and Giddins do not take completely uncritical approaches to Miller Schuller says that Ray Eberle s lumpy sexless vocalizing dragged down many an otherwise passable performance 85 But Schuller notes How much further Miller s musical and financial ambitions might have carried him must forever remain conjectural That it would have been significant whatever form s it might have taken is not unlikely 85 Reaction from musical peers Edit Miller from the Billboard Music Yearbook Louis Armstrong thought enough of Miller to carry around his recordings transferred to seven inch tape reels when he went on tour Armstrong liked musicians who prized melody and his selections ranged from Glenn Miller to Jelly Roll Morton to Tchaikovsky 86 Jazz pianist George Shearing s quintet of the 1950s and 1960s was influenced by Miller with Shearing s locked hands style piano influenced by the voicing of Miller s saxophone section in the middle of the quintet s harmonies 87 88 Frank Sinatra and Mel Torme held the orchestra in high regard Torme credited Miller with giving him helpful advice when he first started his singing and songwriting career in the 1940s Torme met Miller in 1942 the meeting facilitated by Torme s father and Ben Pollack Torme and Miller discussed That Old Black Magic which was just emerging as a new song by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen Miller told Torme to pick up every song by Mercer and study it and to become a voracious reader of anything he could find because all good lyric writers are great readers 89 In an interview with George T Simon in 1948 Sinatra lamented the inferior quality of music he was recording in the late 40s in comparison with those great Glenn Miller things 90 from eight years earlier Frank Sinatra s recording sessions from the late 40s and early 50s use some Miller musicians Trigger Alpert a bassist from the civilian band Zeke Zarchy for the Army Air Forces Orchestra and Willie Schwartz the lead clarinetist from the civilian band back up Frank Sinatra on many recordings 91 92 It was a surprise that clarinetist Buddy DeFranco took on the job of leading the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the late 60s and early 70s De Franco was already a veteran of bands like Gene Krupa and Tommy Dorsey in the 40s He was also a major exponent of modern jazz in the 50s 93 He never saw Miller as leading a swinging jazz band but DeFranco is extremely fond of certain aspects of the Glenn Miller style I found that when I opened with Moonlight Serenade I could see men and women weeping as the music carried them back to years gone by 94 95 De Franco says the beauty of Glenn Miller s ballads caused people to dance together 96 Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra 1942 1945 EditAt the peak of his civilian career in 1942 Miller decided to join the armed forces which meant forsaking an income of about 20 000 per week with his civilian band Glenn Miller and his Orchestra equivalent to 330 000 per week in 2022 At 38 married and needing corrective eyeglasses Miller was classified 3 A for the draft and unlikely to be called to service 97 98 15 He first applied for a commission in the US Navy but was turned down At the time the Navy was dealing with a scandal concerning celebrity commissions in exchange for draft avoidance This had nothing to do with Miller but prevented the Navy from acting on his application p 25 26 99 3 Miller then applied to the US Army with whom he had privately explored the possibility of enlisting During a March 1942 visit to Washington Miller had met with officials of the Army Bureau of Public Relations and Army Air Forces p 24 99 3 On August 12 1942 Miller sent a three page letter to General Charles Young of the Army Service Forces outlining his interest in streamlining modern military music and to express his sincere desire to do a real job for the Army that is not actuated by any personal draft problem General Young forwarded Miller s letter to Gen Brehon Somervell commander of Army Service Forces who approved Miller s application The Army notified Miller of his commission on September 8 1942 He received a one month delay to settle his business affairs citation needed Miller made his final commercial broadcast for Chesterfield Cigarettes on September 24 1942 At the end of the program he introduced competitor Harry James as his successor on the series a gesture that a grateful Harry James never forgot On September 26 Miller made his final civilian broadcast on the Blue Network Coca Cola Victory parade of Spotlight Bands pp 28 33 100 3 Glenn Miller and his Orchestra gave their final performance at Central Theater in Passaic New Jersey on September 27 1942 3 15 On October 7 1942 Miller reported to the Seventh Service Command at Omaha as a captain in the Army Specialist Corps Following a one month ASC training course at Fort Meade Maryland he transferred to the Army Air Forces AAF on November 25 1942 by order of General Henry Harley Hap Arnold Miller was initially assigned to the AAF Southeast Flying Training Command at Maxwell Field Alabama for orientation as assistant special service officer traveling to different AAF training bases in the region to learn the mission of the training command There he appeared on the nationwide NBC Army Hour broadcast originated from WSFA Montgomery He also appeared over WAPI radio Birmingham performing with the Rhythmaires a 15 piece base band pp 34 36 100 Effective January 1 1943 Miller was assigned to the headquarters of the AAF Technical Training Command TTC at Knollwood Field Southern Pines North Carolina Reporting to Gen Walter R Weaver Miller became director of bands for the AAFTTC Miller s recommendation for an AAFTTC bands program was approved Detached to the AAF Training Center at Atlantic City New Jersey Miller screened personnel for assignment to various AAF base bands across the nation and recruited many for an elite unit that he would direct himself The AAF had established its First Radio Production Unit and Orchestra to broadcast from Hollywood commanded by Maj Eddie Dunstedter with musical director M Sgt Felix Slatkin Miller would form and direct the Second AAF Radio Production Unit and Orchestra broadcasting and recording from New York Miller s unit was authorized on March 20 1943 and billeted at the AAF Training School at Yale University New Haven Connecticut Its personnel were a talented mix of jazz musicians from major big bands and musicians from leading symphony orchestras Miller would successfully attempt to fuse jazz popular music and light classics including strings which was an evolutionary step beyond his civilian band pp 42 48 99 3 Broadcasting and recording from New York the Miller unit broadcast I Sustain the Wings This weekly series was first carried by CBS starting on June 5 1943 and then by NBC from September 18 1943 through June 10 1944 Miller s unit was succeeded on the series by the AAFTC orchestra directed by M Sgt Harry Bluestone when the Miller band deployed overseas The Miller unit resumed the series when they returned from the European Theater in August 1945 The Miller unit also recorded V Discs at RCA Victor studios and recorded broadcasts for the Office of War Information and Armed Forces Radio Service including Music from America and Uncle Sam Presents pp 49 50 99 3 In addition to the full concert orchestra Miller s AAF Training Command organization included a marching band for base activities and a jazz band led by T Sgt Ray McKinley the popular civilian bandleader and drummer Initially designated the 418th AAF Band Miller s unit was redesignated the Second AAF Radio Production Unit on December 6 1943 At that time base band duties transferred to the 708th AAF Band a unit of standby musicians separate from the radio orchestra Miller s marching band became famous by using jeeps with drums and string bass aboard for public performances Miller also famously got into a musical argument with Army purists by performing marching arrangements of jazz including The Saint Louis Blues and Blues in the Night as opposed to traditional Sousa military marches The AAF endorsed Miller s modern approach pp 51 52 99 3 On May 24 1944 Gen Dwight D Eisenhower sent a cable to Washington requesting transfer of the Miller AAF unit for the purposes of radio broadcasting and morale With the impending D Day invasion of northwest Europe the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force SHAEF was establishing a combined allied radio broadcasting service Eisenhower cited the Miller organization as the only organization capable of performing the mission required The Army Air Forces approved the deployment under the condition that the unit remain under AAF control Miller and radio producer Sgt Paul Dudley flew to London on June 19 and the band followed aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth which was serving as a troopship pp 68 75 99 3 Upon arrival in London the unit was initially billeted at Sloane Court Chelsea This was a temporary assignment because Miller had previously arranged for permanent quarters in Bedford Because of the V 1 flying bomb assault that was underway SHAEF determined it better to house the band where the BBC had moved operations during the Blitz of 1940 41 In Bedford the Miller unit would use facilities developed for Sir Adrian Boult and the BBC Symphony Prior to the band s arrival Miller met with SHAEF and BBC officials to coordinate broadcasting plans including the BBC Director of the new Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme AEFP Maurice Gorham SHAEF Director of Broadcasting American Col Edward Kirby and Deputy Director of SHAEF Broadcasting British Lt Col David Niven They became Miller s chain of command His distinguished orchestra was attached to SHAEF in London and was quartered at Milton Ernest near Bedford England 4 When the band arrived in London they were quartered in a BBC Radio office at 25 Sloane Court 4 Unfortunately this was in the middle of Buzz Bomb Alley an area of sleepless nights because of the constant barrage of German flying V 1 bombs 4 Miller arranged for new quarters and transportation to move to Bedford on Sunday July 2 1944 4 The next morning a buzz bomb landed in front of their old quarters destroyed the building and killed more than 100 people 4 which included WACs among the seventy five American personnel lost None were Miller band members 4 3 99 Miller told Lieutenant Don Haynes As long as the Miller Luck stays with us we have nothing to worry about 4 15 25 24 On July 9 1944 Miller s 51 piece orchestra and production personnel started broadcasting a series of musical programs over the AEFP under BBC technical supervision The programs included The American Band of the AEF full orchestra Swing Shift T Sgt Ray McKinley dance orchestra Uptown Hall Sgt Mel Powell jazz quartet Strings With Wings Sgt George Ockner concertmaster and the string section Song by Sgt Johnny Desmond vocalist with orchestra directed by M Sgt Norman Leyden and Piano Parade piano solos by Pvt Jack Rusin and Sgt Mel Powell The orchestra also appeared for the Office of War Information s Voice of America European outlet The American Broadcasting Station in Europe ABSIE broadcast daily to occupied Europe and Germany One of its German language programs was Music for the Wehrmacht in which Miller made announcements in phonetic German scripts with a German speaking announcer named Isle who was actually ABSIE announcer Gloria Wagner Sgt Johnny Desmond sang vocals in German on this series pp 118 119 pp 150 156 3 99 In England the band kept an extensive schedule of personal appearances at primarily American air bases Visiting American celebrities Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore appeared on their radio programs Shore joined Miller for a recording session at Abbey Road Studios where the orchestra recorded their ABSIE German language programs 3 Military service personnel of all ranks enjoyed the band Their concert at Wycombe Abbey England at Eighth Air Force Headquarters was filmed by American Forces Network on July 29 1944 General James H Doolittle Commanding General of the Eighth Air Force showed his appreciation as he famously announced Captain Miller next to a letter from home your band is the greatest morale booster in the European Theater pp 121 142 This film is now in the care of the National Archives RG 342 USAF 49520 film NARA Eighth Air Force 520 071 A5835 AFHRA 3 99 4 101 25 During November 1944 Miller and Niven sought and received approval to move the unit from England to France By this time SHAEF had relocated to Versailles It was determined that reliable radio broadcasting could be accomplished from Paris and that the Miller orchestra could be seen in person at Paris area hospitals and by ground troops on leave from the front lines The move was set for mid December As a precaution the Miller organization had to prerecord eighty hours of broadcasts prior to moving in addition to their normal schedule Meanwhile preparations in France were behind schedule On December 11 1944 Niven ordered Miller to replace his executive officer Lt Donald Haynes to fly ahead and complete arrangements before the entire group came across pp 190 210 3 99 Death Edit US Army Air Force UC 64 Miller s memorial headstone at Arlington National Cemetery The AAF band completed their pre recordings and regular broadcasts on Tuesday December 12 1944 and prepared for the anticipated move to France As per Niven s order Miller was booked on a scheduled Air Transport Command passenger flight from London Bovingdon to Paris Orly on Thursday December 14 99 Miller was on standby for an earlier flight on December 13 but it was canceled due to bad weather in France His reservation on December 14 was also canceled Miller was frustrated and impatient fearing that arrangements would not be made in time to accommodate the movement of his unit to France On a telephone call to Haynes he learned that a mutual acquaintance Lieutenant Colonel Norman Baessell of the Eighth Air Force Service Command at Milton Ernest was flying to France on December 15 It was to be aboard a Noorduyn UC 64A Norseman assigned to him and piloted by Flight Officer John Stuart Morgan Baessell invited Miller to join them 99 Miller s travel orders did not authorize him to board a casual flight and he did not report his intentions to his chain of command so SHAEF was in the dark concerning Miller s whereabouts Although AAF and RAF combat missions flew that day as well as numerous transport planes the RAF Training Unit at Twinwood Field near Bedford had stood down But the aerodrome was open At 13 45 Morgan landed at Twinwood boarded Baessell and Miller and took off at 13 55 The UC 64 and its occupants were never seen again The next morning the Battle of the Bulge began The Eighth Air Force and SHAEF did not realize that the UC 64 with Miller aboard was missing until three days later on Monday December 18 1944 pp 210 242 99 Upon realizing the airplane and Miller were missing Orvil Anderson Deputy Commander for Operations of the Eighth Air Force who was married to Miller s cousin Maude Miller Anderson ordered a search and investigation 25 15 Meanwhile Miller s unit had flown safely from England to France aboard three C 47 transports and prepared to begin their broadcasting and concert duties Since they were scheduled for a Christmas Day broadcast from Paris to England and via shortwave to the United States news of Miller s whereabouts would have to be released AAF Headquarters in Washington D C notified Miller s wife Helen of his disappearance on December 23 1944 with an in person visit to their home by two senior officers and a telephone call from Gen H H Arnold On December 24 1944 at 18 00 BST SHAEF announced Miller s disappearance to the press stressing that no members of his unit were with him aboard the missing airplane 99 The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra appeared as scheduled on December 25 1944 conducted by Jerry Gray The unit continued to broadcast and appear throughout Europe through V E Day and until August 1945 It received a Unit Citation from Gen Eisenhower Returning home the unit resumed its I Sustain the Wings series over NBC 3 On November 13 1945 the AAF Band appeared at the National Press Club for its final concert which was attended by President Harry Truman and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King When the band appeared to the strains of Miller s theme Moonlight Serenade the president stood and led the audience in a spontaneous round of applause The band was congratulated for a job well done in person by General Eisenhower and General Arnold 3 99 102 Their last performance was the I Sustain the Wings broadcast at Bolling Field Washington D C on NBC radio on November 17 1945 4 Its personnel were gradually discharged and the unit was disestablished in January 1946 4 3 25 Condolences Edit Helen Miller accepted her husband s Bronze Star Medal at a ceremony at Miller s New York business office on March 23 1945 99 Glenn Miller Declassified p 304 When Miller was officially declared dead in December 1945 Helen received a formal letter of condolence and appreciation from Gen H H Arnold 99 Glenn Miller Declassified pp xv xvi When Major General Anderson returned from Europe he visited Helen Miller and informed her of the inquiry findings Glenn Miller Declassified p 322 99 4 On January 20 1945 an Eighth Air Force Board of Inquiry in England determined that the UC 64 airplane went down over the English Channel due to a combination of human error mechanical failure and weather Remains of the UC 64 and its passengers have never been found pp 269 338 99 4 The three officers were officially declared dead on the standard year and a day after they disappeared This was published in a 1946 Army publication showing that Miller has a Finding of Death FOD He was missing in action MIA on December 15 1944 and his remains were not recoverable 4 Names on tablets of the missing Edit Miller s name is engraved as Alton G Miller on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial run by the American Battle Monuments Commission in Cambridge England 4 The names of Flight Officer John R S Morgan and Lieutenant Colonel Norman Baessell are also carved there Many Americans who died in the Second World War in Europe are buried there On behalf of Miller s family and the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society an Air Force wreath ceremony was conducted there on the 50th anniversary of their deaths December 15 1994 A moment of silence was held there and at Arlington National Cemetery 103 Memorial headstone Edit At his daughter s request nearly 50 years later an official government issued memorial headstone was placed for Major Alton Glenn Miller US Army Air Corps in memorial section H at the Army run Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia in 1992 4 A trombone 464 A and the words Bronze Star Medal are carved on the back of the white marble marker 4 Memorial tree Edit A living memorial of the entire unit can be seen from there on Wilson Drive The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra was in service from March 20 1943 to January 15 1946 4 16 is engraved on the black granite marker in front of their memorial American Holly 4 16 The marker has etchings of a trombone and the patches of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force SHAEF and the Army Air Forces AAF on it Before being etched in stone the band s title was verified by the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Veterans Association and its president Norman Leyden arranger clarinetist Arlington National Cemetery Army and Air Force historian Kathy Shenkle the Glenn Miller Archives at the University of Colorado at Boulder 3 the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society the US Army Historians and Band and the US Air Force Historians and Band 16 On behalf of the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra veterans a memorial American Holly tree was dedicated in Section 13 along Wilson Drive near Miller s memorial headstone on the 50th anniversary of his death December 15 1994 4 103 The American Holly is meant to remind visitors of the tune American Patrol 4 Taps was sounded at the wreath ceremony memorial service and living memorial tree dedication 4 A moment of silence took place both at Arlington and Cambridge The Secretary of the Air Force was the main speaker 4 103 Attendees included Sergeant Emanuel Wishnow viola other unit veterans Miller s family military service members US senators Glenn Miller Archives founder and curator C F Alan Cass and members of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society 4 103 The Jazz Ambassadors of the US Army Field Band performed at the luncheon at Fort Myer that followed the ceremony 4 103 One of Miller s trombones was displayed on stage 103 The Airmen of Note and the Army Blues had performances elsewhere during the day 4 The US Air Force Band with their orchestra played a 50th anniversary memorial concert that night and on tour for the next year 4 103 The Coast Guard Band and Marine Corps Band commanders joined the other bands in sending written greetings 4 103 On the 75th anniversary on December 15 2019 Ms Kathy Shenkle represented them all at a wreath ceremony there with wreaths provided by Wreaths Across America 4 The conclusive document concerning the military career and disappearance of Miller appeared during 2017 in the book Glenn Miller Declassified by Dennis M Spragg director of the Glenn Miller Archives On behalf of the Glenn Miller Estate and with the full cooperation of American and British authorities all relevant and many new documents concerning the circumstances of the accident were discovered and published including the inquiry findings of January 20 1945 Miller had no other duties than as a musical and broadcasting officer His high profile and schedule ruled out any clandestine role as later speculated by sensationalists He was not the victim of foul play or friendly fire All conspiracy theories surrounding his death were therefore debunked before December 15 2019 the 75th anniversary of his death 99 In 2019 the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery TIGHAR was reported to be investigating a report that Miller s airplane was possibly discovered many miles west of its required flight path but nothing further has been reported or found Given modern technology a well funded and patient exploration could possibly find and identify the debris of the airplane along the required air transport corridor between Langney Point Beachy Head and St Valery France 100 104 105 Civilian band legacy EditMiller and his music became an institution as Miller wished His music is still played worldwide by professional and amateur musicians every day including BBC radio 4 The Miller estate authorized an official Glenn Miller legacy or ghost band in 1946 the Glenn Miller Orchestra This band was led by Tex Beneke former tenor saxophonist and a singer for the civilian band It had a makeup similar to the Army Air Forces Band It included a large string section and at least initially about two thirds of the musicians were alumni of either the civilian or AAF orchestras 106 The orchestra s official public debut was at the Capitol Theatre on Broadway where it opened for a three week engagement on January 24 1946 107 Future television and film composer Henry Mancini was the band s pianist and one of the arrangers 108 This ghost band played to very large audiences all across the United States including a few dates at the Hollywood Palladium in 1947 where the original Miller band played in 1941 109 A website concerning the history of the Hollywood Palladium noted even as the big band era faded the Tex Beneke and Glenn Miller Orchestra concert at the Palladium resulted in a record breaking crowd of 6 750 dancers 110 By 1949 economics dictated that the string section be dropped 111 This band recorded for RCA Victor just as the original Miller band did 111 Beneke was struggling with how to expand the Miller sound and also how to achieve success under his own name What began as the Glenn Miller Orchestra Under the Direction of Tex Beneke finally became The Tex Beneke Orchestra By 1950 Beneke and the Miller estate parted ways 112 The break was acrimonious 113 although Beneke is now listed by the Miller estate as a former leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra 114 and his role is now acknowledged on the orchestra s website 115 When Miller was alive many bandleaders such as Bob Chester imitated his style 116 By the early 1950s various bands were again copying the Miller style of clarinet led reeds and muted trumpets notably Ralph Flanagan 117 Jerry Gray 118 and Ray Anthony 119 This coupled with the success of The Glenn Miller Story 1953 inspired the Miller estate to ask Ray McKinley to lead a new ghost band called the Glenn Miller Orchestra 111 This 1956 band is the original version of the current ghost band that still tours the United States today 120 The official Glenn Miller Orchestra for the United States is currently under the direction of Nick Hilscher 121 The officially sanctioned Glenn Miller Orchestra for the United Kingdom has toured and recorded under the leadership of Ray McVay 122 The official Glenn Miller Orchestra for Europe has been led by Wil Salden since 1990 123 The Official Glenn Miller Orchestra for Scandinavia has been led by Jan Slottenas since 2010 124 Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra legacy EditThe Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra s long term legacy has carried on with the Airmen of Note 4 125 a band within the United States Air Force Band 4 The Airmen of Note is the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force Stationed at Joint Base Anacostia Bolling in Washington D C it is one of six musical ensembles that form The US Air Force Band 125 Created in 1950 to continue the tradition of Major Glenn Miller s Army Air Forces dance band the current band consists of 18 active duty musicians including one vocalist This band was created in 1950 from smaller groups within the Bolling Air Force Base in Washington DC and continues to play jazz music for the Air Force community and the general public The legacy also continues through The United States Air Forces in Europe Band 4 125 stationed at Ramstein Air Base Germany 126 Today every branch of the US armed forces has a big band component 4 This includes The Ambassadors in US Army Air Forces Europe The US Army Band s Army Blues the US Army Field Band s Jazz Ambassadors and the US Navy Commodores The US Coast Guard has one musical organization to perform all types of music 4 That includes a Coast Guard musical unit called the Guardians The Coast Guard Band and Yale University bands performed a joint concert for the 75th anniversary of Miller s death 4 127 128 The military bands consist of units such as concert bands marching bands jazz orchestras small combos and elements that play swing rock country and bluegrass 4 Miller is considered to be the father of all modern United States military bands 4 Miller was a stickler for details and accuracy and always the truth How delighted he would have been with Ed Polic s superbly documented report wrote George Simon as he recommended The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band Sustineo Alas I Sustain the Wings to readers of the American Reference Books Annual In 1314 pages Polic covers a small but significant period of Glenn Miller s life and music from his enlistment in 1942 and the beginning of his Army Air Forces Orchestra band for short in 1943 through its end in late 1945 giving an overall history of the band and a detailed recounting of the day by day activities of the band 129 Posthumous events EditNumerous archives museums and memorials in the United States and England are devoted to Miller 130 Herb Miller Miller s brother led his own band in the United States and England until the late 1980s 131 132 In 1953 Universal International pictures released The Glenn Miller Story starring James Stewart Ray Eberle Marion Hutton and Tex Beneke neither appear in nor are referred to in it 133 Annual festivals celebrating Miller s legacy are held in two of the towns most associated with his youth Clarinda Iowa and Fort Morgan Colorado citation needed Since 1975 the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society has held its annual Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda Iowa 4 The festival s highlights include performances by the official Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Nick Hilscher and many other civilian and military jazz bands It also includes visits to the restored Miller home the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum historical displays from the Glenn Miller Archives at the University of Colorado lectures and presentations about Miller s life and a scholarship competition for young classical and jazz musicians 134 Glenn Miller SwingFest logoIn 1989 Miller s daughter bought the house where Miller was born in Clarinda 2 The Glenn Miller Foundation was created to oversee its restoration It is now part of the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society celebrated when the US Postal Service issued a Glenn Miller postage stamp in 1996 135 Every summer since 1996 the city of Fort Morgan Colorado has hosted a public event called the Glenn Miller SwingFest Miller graduated from Fort Morgan High School where he played football and other sports was on the yearbook staff was in the orchestra and formed his own band with classmates Events include musical performances and swing dancing community picnics lectures and fundraising for scholarships to attend the School for the Performing Arts 136 a nonprofit dance voice piano percussion guitar violin and drama studio program in Fort Morgan Each year about 2 000 people attend this summer festival which serves to introduce younger generations to the music Miller made famous as well as the style of dance and dress popular in the big band era The Glenn Miller Archives 3 at the University of Colorado at Boulder houses many of Miller s recordings gold records and other memorabilia It is also open to scholarly research and the general public 137 138 Formed by Alan Cass the Glenn Miller Archives 3 includes the original manuscript of Miller s theme song Moonlight Serenade 4 139 In 1957 a Student Union Building was completed at the University of Colorado s Boulder campus and the ballroom was named the Glenn Miller Ballroom citation needed In 2002 the Glenn Miller Museum opened to the public at the former RAF Twinwood Farm in Clapham Bedfordshire England 140 Miller s name is engraved as Alton G Miller on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial run by the American Battle Monuments Commission in Cambridge England United Kingdom 4 The names of Flight Officer John R S Morgan and Lieutenant Colonel Norman Baessell are also carved there Miller s government issued white marble memorial headstone is located in Memorial Section H 464 A by Wilson Drive at Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia 4 The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Memorial American Holly can be seen from there 16 141 A Miller fan Peter Cofrancesco bought a gravesite at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven Connecticut and placed a black granite cenotaph there 142 He has no relationship to Major Miller s family Here is the inscription along with corrections that could be made if it is ever replaced or moved to a non grave location An etching of Major Miller in uniform IN MEMORY Major A Alton Glenn Miller 0505273 US Army Air Force Forces W W II Born Clarinda Iowa March 1 1904 Missing in Action Died Europe Dec 15 1944 1943 1944 418th A A F T T C Band AKA Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Yale University New Haven CT I SUSTAIN THE WINGS Sustineo Alas 143 Miller was awarded a Star for Recording on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood California 4 144 The headquarters of the United States Air Forces in Europe Band at Ramstein Air Base Germany is named Glenn Miller Hall 4 On June 25 1999 the Nebraska State Highway Commission unanimously agreed to name Nebraska Highway 97 between North Platte where Miller attended elementary school and Tryon where the Miller family briefly lived as Glenn Miller Memorial Highway Arranging staff and compositions EditMiller had a staff of arrangers who wrote originals such as String of Pearls written and arranged by Jerry Gray 145 or took originals such as In The Mood writing credit given to Joe Garland 146 and arranged by Eddie Durham 147 and Tuxedo Junction written by bandleader Erskine Hawkins 148 and arranged by Jerry Gray 149 and arranged them for the Miller band to either record or broadcast Miller s staff of arrangers in his civilian band who handled the bulk of the work were Jerry Gray a former arranger for Artie Shaw Bill Finegan a former arranger for Tommy Dorsey 150 Billy May 151 and to a much smaller extent George Williams 152 who worked very briefly with the band as well as Andrews Sisters arranger Vic Schoen 153 According to arranger and conductor Norman Leyden he and others did arrangements for Miller in the service including Jerry Gray Ralph Wilkinson Mel Powell and Steve Steck 4 In 1943 Miller wrote Glenn Miller s Method for Orchestral Arranging published by his own company the Mutual Music Society in New York 4 154 a 116 page book with illustrations and scores that explains how he wrote his musical arrangements 4 Discography EditMain article Glenn Miller discographyAwards decorations and honors EditMilitary awards and decorations Edit Miller US Army Air Corps earned a Bronze Star Medal World War II Victory Medal American Campaign Medal European African and Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and Marksman Badge with Carbine and Pistol Bars 4 Bronze Star MedalAmerican Campaign Medal European African Middle EasternCampaign Medalwith two stars World War II Victory MedalMarksmanship Badgewith Carbine and Rifle Bars bar images not available Bronze Star Medal Citation Edit Bust outside the Corn Exchange in Bedford England where Miller played in World War II Major Alton Glenn Miller Army Serial No 0505273 Air Corps United States Army for meritorious service in connection with military operations as Commander of the Army Air Force Band Special from 9 July 1944 to 15 December 1944 Major Miller through excellent judgment and professional skill conspicuously blended the abilities of the outstanding musicians comprising the group into a harmonious orchestra whose noteworthy contribution to the morale of the armed forces has been little less than sensational Major Miller constantly sought to increase the services rendered by his organization and it was through him that the band was ordered to Paris to give this excellent entertainment to as many troops as possible His superior accomplishments are highly commendable and reflect the highest credit upon himself and the armed forces of the United States 4 102 155 Grammy Hall of Fame Edit Miller had three recordings that were posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have qualitative or historical significance Glenn Miller Grammy Hall of Fame Awards 156 Year recorded Title Genre Label Year inducted Notes1939 Moonlight Serenade Jazz single RCA Bluebird 19911941 Chattanooga Choo Choo Jazz single RCA Bluebird 19961939 In the Mood Jazz single RCA Bluebird 1983See also Edit Biography portal Music portal United States portalDeclared death in absentia Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Kalamazoo Michigan List of people who disappeared List of swing musicians Role of music in World War IIReferences Edit a b c All Iowa US Births and Christenings Index 1800 1999 results for Alton Glen Miller Ancestry com Retrieved September 26 2022 a b c d Glenn Miller History Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Archived from the original on May 13 2011 Retrieved March 8 2011 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Dennis M Spragg Glenn Miller Archives Glenn Miller Collections American Music Research Center University of Colorado Boulder designated guardian in perpetuity for the property of the Glenn Miller Estate Historian and Life Member Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Clarinda Iowa Retrieved October 19 2022 https www colorado edu amrc glenn miller collections a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm Shenkle Kathy Glenn Miller America s Musical Patriot US Army Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia 1993 which includes information used for exhibits news articles Iowa Colorado and military papers and the ANC website Retrieved September 11 2022 The Army refers to Glenn Miller as having a finding of death FOD and having been missing in action MIA with remains not recoverable since December 15 1944 Glenn Miller Arlingtoncemetery mil Retrieved July 27 2017 Shenkle Kathy Interviewed on Glenn Miller s Birthday on WPFW Radio by Askia Muhammad Washington D C March 1 1995 https afro com in memoriam renowned black journalist broadcaster askia muhammad dies Glenn Miller s Top 10 Hits American Music Research Center September 22 2017 Retrieved October 25 2022 Team Retro Gazing August 16 2021 What Is Glenn Miller s Most Popular Song Retro Gazing Retrieved October 25 2022 You Will Not Believe How Many Hits the Glenn Miller Orchestra Will Perform on Wednesday Westmount at Three Fountains Retrieved October 25 2022 Song artist 11 Glenn Miller Tsort info Retrieved July 27 2017 The Billboard Music Popularity Chart Week Ending January 2 1942 The Billboard 54 2 12 10 January 1942 Retrieved 17 November 2016 ACHIEVEMENTS Graceland com March 28 2022 Retrieved March 29 2022 Whitburn Joel Pop Memories 1900 1940 Record Research Whitburn Joel 2015 Pop Hits Singles and Albums 1940 1954 Record Research ISBN 978 0 89820 198 7 Achievements All About Elvis Archived from the original on September 12 2011 Retrieved September 9 2011 a b c d e Shenkle Kathy Legacy Special Festival Extra Clarinda Herald Journal Clarinda Iowa 1993 1994 a b c d e Leyden Norman Shenkle Kathy 1994 Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Veterans Association Memorial Tree Request Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra Veterans Association Portland Oregon US Air Forces in Europe Band Retrieved September 29 2022 Glenn Miller biography com September 3 2020 Shenkle Kathy Washington Historian Vacations at Glenn Miller Festival Brings Own Exhibits Clarinda Iowa Clarinda Herald Journal 1993 1994 a b US Army Air Forces MIA FOD World War II to 1946 Finding of Death FOD list includes Major Alton Glenn Miller US Army Air Corps Tablets of the Missing list Cambridge American Cemetery Retrieved October 31 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Army and Air Force Historian Kathy Shenkle Interview for On the Road with Charles Kuralt CBS Sunday Morning 1993 Shenkle Kathy Interview of Historian who attends Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda Des Moines Register 1994 a b Shenkle Kathy Exhibit Glenn Miller America s Musical Hero US Army Center of Military History Archives Fort McNair DC 1993 a b c d e Shenkle Kathy Glenn Miller America s Musical Hero World War II Veterans article series Pentagram Department of Defense Washington DC 1993 a b c d e Miller Glen Glenn ed Memories 1919 1920 Memories 1920 1921 Fort Morgan High School Library and Fort Morgan City Museum Colorado Fort Morgan High School a b Miller Alton Glen Glenn ed Memories 1919 1920 and Memories 1920 1921 Fort Morgan Colorado Fort Morgan High School Shenkle Kathy Historian US Air Force US Army Arlington National Cemetery ANC Memorials record and 1994 Historians Log Books stored at ANC in Arlington Virginia and at the Center of Military History US Army Washington D C Retrieved October 19 2022 a b Yanow Scott 2001 Classic Jazz San Francisco Backbeat ISBN 9780879306595 Glenn Miller www cityoffortmorgan com Retrieved July 19 2018 Famous Sigma Nu s Archived September 16 2006 at the Wayback Machine Oregonstate edu Retrieved on July 29 2011 Who Is Joseph Schillinger The Schillinger System Archived from the original on February 19 2009 Retrieved February 19 2009 Glenn Miller Biography Music us Archived from the original on May 12 2013 Retrieved December 18 2012 Metronome 1928 Volume 44 Page 42 Benny Goodman s Boys www redhotjazz com Retrieved July 19 2018 History www glennmillerorchestra se Retrieved July 19 2018 Connor D Russell Hicks Warren W 1969 BG on the Record A Bio discography of Benny Goodman 5 ed New Rochelle N Y Arlington House ISBN 0 87000 059 4 Shell Niel Shilkret Barbara eds 2004 Nathaniel Shilkret Sixty Years in the Music Business Lanham Maryland Scarecrow ISBN 0 8108 5128 8 Stockdale Robert L Tommy Dorsey on the Side Studies in Jazz Metuchen New Jersey Scarecrow 19 Red Mckenzie and his Mound City Blue Blowers Red Hot Jazz Archived from the original on August 5 2011 Retrieved September 21 2016 Simon George T 1980 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra 1st paperback ed New York Da Capo p 42 ISBN 0 306 80129 9 Simon 1980 says in Glenn Miller and His Orchestra on page 42 when he asked Miller years later what recordings he made were his favorites he specifically singled out the Mound City Blue Blowers sessions Twomey John Who Was Glenn Miller Jazzsight com Retrieved May 31 2009 a b c Simon 1980 pp 65 66 Simon 1980 p 9 Annie s Cousin Fanny was recorded for Decca and Brunswick three times a b Dorsey Brothers Orchestra Redhotjazz com Archived from the original on January 26 2019 Retrieved July 27 2017 Simon George T August 22 1980 Glenn Miller amp His Orchestra Da Capo Press pp 105 ISBN 978 0 306 80129 7 Retrieved July 18 2018 Spink George Music in the Miller Mood Archived from the original on February 11 2010 Simon 1980 p 122 Simon George T 1971 Simon Says The Sights and Sounds of the Swing Era New York Galahad Books p 491 ISBN 0 88365 001 0 Simon 1980 p 143 Twomey Jazzsight com Retrieved on July 29 2011 Schuller Gunther 1991 The swing era the development of jazz 1930 1945 New York Oxford University Press p 667 ISBN 0 19 507140 9 Simon 1980 p 170 New King Time November 27 1939 Archived from the original on July 12 2007 Glennmillerorchestra com Glennmillerorchestra com Retrieved on July 29 2011 Simon 1980 p 91 The entire output of Chesterfield sponsored radio programs Glenn Miller did between 1939 and 1942 were recorded by the Glenn Miller organization on acetate discs Simon 1980 pp 197 314 Miller Glenn A Legendary Performer RCA 1939 1991 Murrells Joseph 1978 The Book of Golden Discs 2nd ed London Barrie and Jenkins Ltd p 4 ISBN 0 214 20512 6 Band Bio The Modernaires October 20 2000 Retrieved on July 29 2011 Marion Hutton 67 Vocalist With Glenn Miller Orchestra The New York Times January 12 1987 p 1 Retrieved May 3 2010 Glenn Miller Biography Archived December 1 2008 at the Wayback Machine Legacy Recordings copyright 2011 Retrieved on July 29 2011 Ray Eberle Archived September 25 2011 at the Wayback Machine Solid Kay Starr Biography Members tripod com Retrieved on July 29 2011 Ernie Caceres Archived from the original on June 7 2008 Retrieved June 5 2008 Solid Dorothy Claire Archived May 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Parabrisas com Retrieved on July 29 2011 Liner notes to RCA Vi LPT 6701 Archived February 1 2017 at the Wayback Machine also see Moonlight Serenade by John Flower PDF Retrieved on July 29 2011 King Pete Lynn Bari s Ghost Singer Pat Friday Big Band Buddies p 1 Variety September 16 1942 Glenn Miller A Memorial 1944 2004 Big Band Library Retrieved on July 29 2011 Simon 1980 p 241 For an example see Time magazine from November 23 1942 U S jive epicures consider the jazz played by such famous name bands as Tommy Dorsey s or Glenn Miller s a low commercial product Time Music Jive for Epicures Original article Archived from the original on October 14 2010 Zammarchi Fabrice 2005 A Life in The Golden Age of Jazz A Biography of Buddy De Franco Seattle Parkside pp 232 234 ISBN 0 9617266 6 0 Albertson Chris Major Glenn Miller and the Army Air Forces Band 1943 1944 Bluebird RCA 1987 Liner notes Another reference by Miller s friend George T Simon states Miller resented critics who focused almost entirely on his band s jazz or lack of it Leonard Feather was a pet peeve see Simon The Sights and Sounds of the Big Band Era 1971 p 275 Jazz Articles Who s overrated Who s Underrated by Mike Joyce Jazz Articles Archived from the original on March 20 2011 Retrieved May 24 2011 JazzTimes Archived from the original on April 21 2012 Retrieved May 4 2012 Stride and Swing The Enduring Appeal of Fats Waller and Glenn Miller The New Yorker 2004 Home Arts on Campus a b Gary Giddins is a New York based jazz and film critic who has written for the Village Voice and the New York Sun He won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Visions of Jazz The First Century Biography The Official Gary Giddins Website Garygiddins com November 27 2012 Retrieved July 27 2017 a b c d Schuller pp 662 670 677 Armstrong Louis Reel to Reel The Paris Review Spring 2008 63 Zwerin Mike August 17 1995 George Shearing at 76 Still Holding His Own International Herald Tribune Retrieved November 8 2014 Keepnews Peter February 14 2011 George Shearing Lullaby of Birdland Jazz Virtuoso Dies at 91 The New York Times What Shearing was aiming for was a full block sound which if it was scored for saxophones would sound like the Glenn Miller sound And coming at the end of the frenetic bebop era the timing seemed to be right Torme Mel 1988 It Wasn t All Velvet New York Penguin pp 42 44 ISBN 0 86051 571 0 Simon 1971 p 359 Frank Sinatra The Columbia Years 1947 1949 Jazzdiscography com Retrieved July 27 2017 Frank Sinatra Columbia II JazzDiscography com Retrieved July 27 2017 Buddy s Bio Buddy DeFranco Retrieved November 8 2014 Zammarchi 238 DeFranco s favorite Miller recordings are Skylark and Indian Summer see Zammarchi 237 Zammarchi 237 The Draft and World War II National World War II Museum Retrieved October 29 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Deferments The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 required all men between the ages of 21 and 45 to register for the draft The Selective Service System defines the 3 A deferment as being for those whose induction would result in hardship to persons who depend upon them for support Miller s deferment fit in the 3 A category in several ways Selective Service System Retrieved October 29 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Spragg Dennis September 1 2017 Glenn Miller Declassified ISBN 9781612348957 a b c Glenn Miller Declassified the definitive biography by Dennis M Spragg Dennismspragg com Retrieved September 29 2021 National Archives and Records Administration NARA Washington DC RG 342 USAF 49520 film NARA Eighth Air Force 520 071 A5835 Air Force Historical Research Agency AFHRA Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama a b Shenkle Kathy 1993 Glenn Miller America s Musical Patriot US Army Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Virginia 1993 Longer versions of this exhibit appeared on CBS Sunday Morning TV WPFW radio Clarinda Herald Journal Pentagram DOD and the Des Moines Register militaryhonors sid hill us honors hon 10b htm Retrieved September 27 2022 a b c d e f g h Clarinda benefits from efforts of Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Clarinda Herald Journal Clarinda Iowa Nov 6 2008 Retrieved 10 31 2022 Team to probe Glenn Miller crash site BBC News January 14 2019 Revealed What really happened when Glenn Miller disappeared in 1944 College of Music July 8 2014 Retrieved May 6 2019 Simon 1980 pp 437 39 Butcher p 262 Henry Mancini at All About Jazz Archived March 31 2008 at the Wayback Machine Allaboutjazz com Retrieved on July 29 2011 Simon 1980 p 258 Developer Buying Hollywood Palladium Yehoodi com Retrieved July 29 2011 a b c Butcher page 263 Simon 1980 p 439 George Simon 1980 in Glenn Miller and His Orchestra p 439 says it happened in December 1950 Former Leaders Glennmillerorchestra com Retrieved April 16 2012 Tex Beneke Glennmillerorchestra com Retrieved March 26 2017 Solid Bob Chester biography filmography Archived February 8 2007 at the Wayback Machine Parabrisas com March 20 1908 Retrieved on July 29 2011 Ralph Flanagan Bigbandlibrary com Retrieved on July 29 2011 Jerry Gray Bigbandlibrary com Retrieved on July 29 2011 Solid Ray Anthony biography filmography Archived December 14 2006 at the Wayback Machine Parabrisas com January 20 1922 Retrieved on July 29 2011 Ray McKinley Drummerworld Glenn Miller Orchestra Glennmillerorchestra com September 5 2012 Retrieved December 18 2012 Devon Theatre Review Glenn Miller Orchestra at Plymouth Pavilions BBC News Retrieved July 29 2011 Glenn Miller Orchestra Portrait Wil Salden Glenn miller de October 20 2010 Retrieved on July 29 2011 Orchestra Portrait Glennmillerorchestra se Retrieved July 27 2017 a b c US Air Force Bands October 27 2022 The Airmen of Note US Air Force Band Retrieved October 27 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link US Air Forces in Europe Band www music af mil Yale Bands 1940s Holiday Re Enactment Glenn Miller s Army Air Force Band 1944 Radio Show and 1940s All Women Big Band Yale News December 10 2019 Retrieved October 27 2022 Yale Bands celebrates three anniversaries at its final concert of 2019 Yale University News December 2 2019 Retrieved October 27 2022 Polic Edward F The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band Sustineo Alas I Sustain the Wings Metuchen N J New Brunswick N J Scarecrow Press Institute of Jazz Studies Rutgers University 1989 ISBN 978 0810822696 In June 2009 it was announced that the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society in Clarinda Iowa was building a 5 600 foot museum to house memorabilia from Glenn Miller s musical career The museum in Glenn Miller s birthplace has been in the works since 1990 according to the USA Today article Big Bands Database Plus Archived February 11 2007 at the Wayback Machine Nfo net Retrieved on July 29 2011 John Miller Orchestra Home Archived from the original on August 20 2007 Retrieved August 27 2007 The Glenn Miller Story January 17 2012 Archived from the original on January 17 2012 Retrieved September 29 2021 Glenn Miller Birthplace Society Glennmiller org Retrieved July 27 2017 Artist Bill Nelson Art director Howard E Paine Art of the Stamp Big Band Leaders Glenn Miller First day of issue September 11 1996 Smithsonian Institution s National Postal Museum Retrieved October 31 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link The School for the Performing Arts The School for the Performing Arts Retrieved July 27 2017 Glenn Miller Archive University of Colorado Archived from the original on July 13 2012 CU Boulder remembers remarkable longtime campus fixture Alan Cass CU Boulder Today University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO Retrieved 10 31 2022 CU Boulder s Glenn Miller Archive Receives Major Gift Including Seldom Heard Music Archived June 5 2011 at the Wayback Machine University of Colorado at Boulder May 1 2007 Retrieved on July 29 2011 Glenn Miller Archived October 19 2008 at the Wayback Machine Twinwoodevents com August 30 2010 Retrieved on July 29 2011 The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra American Holly is Memorial tree number 78 in the file at this link document https www arlingtoncemetery mil Portals 0 Docs Memorial 20Trees 20Updated 209 5 2014 pdf ver 2020 08 27 190631 920 Papazian Rita January 31 1999 Glenn Miller s New Haven Connection The New York Times Retrieved November 8 2014 Papazian Rita January 31 1999 Glenn Miller s New Haven Connection The New York Times p 14 Retrieved October 19 2022 Hollywood Star Walk Glenn Miller Los Angeles Times Retrieved November 8 2014 Jerry Gray Big Band Library Retrieved on July 29 2011 Song In The Mood ShapiroBernstein com Eddie Durham Archived July 11 2007 at the Wayback Machine Sony BMG Retrieved on July 29 2011 Co Composers BuddyFeyne com Jerry Gray A String of Pearls Big Band Library Retrieved December 18 2012 All About Jazz Bill Finegan Arranger for Dorsey Miller Bands Dies Allaboutjazz com Archived from the original on December 24 2008 Retrieved December 18 2012 Augustand Melissa February 2 2004 Died Billy May 87 Time Archived from the original on January 15 2009 George Williams Musical Arranger 71 The New York Times April 21 1988 Retrieved September 21 2016 Gottlieb Jeff January 8 2000 Vic Schoen Musician and Composer Dies at 83 Los Angeles Times PBS Jazz A Film By Ken Burns Selected Artist Biography Glenn Miller PBS Retrieved November 8 2014 Shenkle Kathy 1993 Glenn Miller America s Musical Patriot Retrieved September 27 2022 GRAMMY com Grammy com Archived from the original on July 7 2015 Retrieved September 29 2021 Further reading EditBennett Tony 1998 The Good Life New York Pocket Books ISBN 0 671 02469 8 Butcher Geoffrey 1997 Next to a Letter from Home North Pomfret Vt Trafalgar Square ISBN 0 7515 1078 5 Chattanooga Choo Choo The Life and Times of the World famous Glenn Miller Orchestra by Richard Grudens 2004 ISBN 1 57579 277 X Friedwald Will 1997 The Song Is You New York Da Capo Press ISBN 0 306 80742 4 Flower John 1972 Moonlight Serenade a bio discography of the Glenn Miller Civilian Band New Rochelle NY Arlington House ISBN 0 87000 161 2 Miller Glenn 1943 Glenn Miller s Method for Orchestral Arranging New York Mutual Music Society ASIN B0007DMEDQ Miller Glenn 1927 Glenn Miller s 125 Jazz Breaks For Trombone Chicago Melrose Brothers Music Company Miller Glenn 1939 Feist All Star Series of Modern Rhythm Choruses Arranged By Glenn Miller For Trombone New York Leo J Feist Inc Newton Wesley Phillips Launching a legend Maxwell Field and Glenn Miller s Army Air Forces Band Alabama Review 53 4 2000 271 96 Polic Edward F The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band Sustineo Alas I Sustain the Wings 2 Volumes Metuchen N J New Brunswick N J Scarecrow Press Institute of Jazz Studies Rutgers University 1989 ISBN 978 0810822696 Simon George Thomas 1980 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra New York Da Capo paperback ISBN 0 306 80129 9 Simon George Thomas 1971 Simon Says New York Galahad ISBN 0 88365 001 0 Schuller Gunther 1991 The Swing Era The Development of Jazz 1930 1945 Volume 2 New York Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 507140 9 Spragg Dennis M 2017 Glenn Miller Declassified Lincoln University of Nebraska Press ISBN 978 1612348957 Sudhalter Richard 1999 Lost Chords New York Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 514838 X External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glenn Miller https www arlingtoncemetery mil official US Army website for Arlington National Cemetery Glenn Miller Memorial Headstone Photo at https ancexplorer army mil publicwmv index html arlington national search results 1 CgZtaWxsZXISBWFsdG9uGgVnbGVubg https www arlingtoncemetery mil Explore Find a Grave official Arlington National Cemetery grave locator where you select smart phone or web for which app to use to look up the name Alton Glenn Miller is the name to use for his memorial headstone in Memorial Section H The Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra American Holly is Memorial tree number 78 in the file at this link document https www arlingtoncemetery mil Portals 0 Docs Memorial 20Trees 20Updated 209 5 2014 pdf ver 2020 08 27 190631 920 The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society which organizes the annual Glenn Miller Birthplace Festival in Clarinda Iowa Glenn Miller Archives official repository for the legacy and property of Alton Glenn Miller University of Colorado Boulder Glenn Miller at IMDb Glenn Miller recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings Glenn Miller Glenn Miller Resources from Glenn Miller s biographer and Glenn Miller Archives and Glenn Miller Birthplace Society historian Dennis M Spragg Recordings Miller made for Brunswick records as a sideman in the late 1920s and early 1930s Glenn s Swing Orchestra tribute to Glenn Miller in French language The Disappearance of Glenn Miller documentary in the PBS Series History Detectives Internet Archive In The Mood Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Glenn Miller amp oldid 1141413573, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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