Glenn Miller - Pandora Internet Radio

Create a Station

Bookmark This Artist

"Glenn Miller" has been added to your list of bookmarked artists

Go to your profile

People Listening to
This Artist

Glenn Miller

Biography

Glenn Miller's reign as the most popular bandleader in the U.S. came relatively late in his career and was relatively brief, lasting only about three and a half years, from the spring of 1939 to the fall of 1942. But during that period he utterly dominated popular music, and over time he has proven the most enduring figure of the swing era, with reissues of his recordings achieving gold record status 40 years after his death. Miller developed a distinctive sound in which a high-pitched clarinet carried the melody, doubled by a saxophone section playing an octave lower, and he used that sound to produce a series of hits that remain definitive examples of swing music. Miller's approach is not much appreciated by jazz fans, who prefer bands that allow for greater improvisation than was found in his highly disciplined, rigorously rehearsed unit. But he brought the swing style of popular music to a level of sophistication and commercial acceptance it had not previously achieved and would not see again after his untimely passing.

Miller was the son of Lewis Elmer and Mattie Lou Cavender Miller. He lived in various locations in the Midwest while he was growing up. He first took up the mandolin, then switched to a horn. In Grant City, MO, where his family moved in 1915, he joined the town band and began playing trombone. By 1918, the family had moved to Fort Morgan, CO, where he played in the high school band and graduated in May 1921. He immediately joined the Boyd Senter band, but quit to start college at the University of Colorado in January 1923. After a year, however, he left college and moved to Los Angeles, where he joined Ben Pollack's band. In the summer of 1928, he left Pollack and settled in New York, where he worked as a session musician and arranger. When in the spring of 1934 Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey formed the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, he signed on as trombonist and arranger, remaining with the band almost a year. He left to organize an American band for British bandleader Ray Noble that made its debut at the Rainbow Room in New York's Rockefeller Center. Meanwhile, he was studying theory and composition with Joseph Schillinger.

Miller began recording under his own name for Columbia Records on April 25, 1935, using a pickup band containing members of the Noble orchestra. His instrumental "Solo Hop" reached the Top Ten in the summer of 1935. But he did not organize a permanent touring band of his own until 1937, when he signed to Brunswick Records. The group was not a success, and he disbanded it in early 1938, then reorganized a couple of months later and signed to the discount-priced Bluebird subsidiary of RCA Victor Records. Still without any great success, he managed to maintain this orchestra for the next year until he got his big break with an engagement at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, NY, in the summer of 1939. Glen Island was a major swing venue with a radio wire, giving the band extensive exposure. Already, Miller had hit the charts with the Top Ten hit "Sunrise Serenade"; soon, its flipside, "Moonlight Serenade," would become an even bigger hit. "Wishing (Will Make It So)" (vocal by Ray Eberle) hit number one in June. Ultimately, Miller scored 17 Top Ten hits in 1939, including the subsequent chart-toppers "Stairway to the Stars," "Moon Love," "Over the Rainbow," and "Blue Orchids" (all vocals by Ray Eberle), as well as "The Man With the Mandolin" (vocal by Marion Hutton).

Miller's recording success led to other opportunities. He became the star of the three-times-a-week radio series Chesterfield Supper Club in December 1939 and began the first of several extended engagements at the Café Rouge in the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York in January 1940, also appearing occasionally at the Paramount Theatre. He scored 31 Top Ten hits in 1940, more than three times as many as the second most successful recording artist of the year, Tommy Dorsey, hitting number one with "Careless," "When You Wish Upon a Star," "Imagination," "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)," and "Blueberry Hill" (all vocals by Ray Eberle); "The Woodpecker Song" (vocal by Marion Hutton); and the instrumentals "In the Mood" and "Tuxedo Junction" (both of which were later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame).

Miller scored another 11 Top Ten hits in 1941, which was enough to make him the top recording artist for the second year in a row. His number one hits included "Song of the Volga Boatmen," "You and I" (vocal by Ray Eberle), "Chattanooga Choo Choo," from his first film, Sun Valley Serenade (vocals by Tex Beneke and the Modernaires with Paula Kelly), and "Elmer's Tune" (vocals by Ray Eberle and the Modernaires). The story was much the same on the recording front in 1942, 11 Top Ten hits and a third straight ranking as the year's top recording artist, the chart-toppers including "A String of Pearls," "Moonlight Cocktail" (vocals by Ray Eberle and the Modernaires), "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)," and "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" (vocals on the last two by Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, and the Modernaires). "Kalamazoo" came from Miller's second film, Orchestra Wives.

Yet 1942, the first full year of American participation in World War II, marked the end of Miller's dominance of popular music, since, after months of negotiations, he arranged to receive an officer's commission in the army air force on September 10 and, 17 days later, played his final date with his band, which he then broke up. He organized a service band and began performing at military camps and war-bond rallies while hosting a weekly radio series, Sustain the Wings. Nevertheless, he scored two more Top Ten hits in 1943, including the number one "That Old Black Magic" (vocals by Skip Nelson and the Modernaires). He took his band to Great Britain in June 1944 and continued to perform for the troops and do radio broadcasts. He was preparing to go on to Paris when the plane on which he was traveling disappeared over the English Channel and he died at age 40.

Glenn Miller, an album of 78 rpm records, topped the newly instituted album charts in May 1945 and became the most successful album of the year. The Glenn Miller Orchestra was reconstituted as a ghost band after the war under the direction of Tex Beneke. In October 1947, Glenn Miller Masterpieces, Vol. 2 topped the album charts. Miller was the subject of a partly fictionalized film biography, The Glenn Miller Story, starring James Stewart, in February 1954; a soundtrack album of re-recordings not featuring Miller, released by Decca Records, hit number one in March. RCA Victor countered with the 10" LP Selections from the Glenn Miller Story, which hit number one in May. (The album was reissued as a 12" LP with a modified track selection in 1956 and was certified gold in 1961. In 1962, RCA Victor released Glenn Miller Plays Selections from the Glenn Miller Story and Other Hits, which had an identical track listing to the 1956 Selections from the Glenn Miller Story LP. It went gold in 1968.) The Miller estate, having parted ways with Tex Beneke, hired Ray McKinley, a former member of the Miller band, to organize a new ghost band in 1956, and this Glenn Miller Orchestra continued to record and perform under various leaders from then on. In 1959, RCA Victor released a triple LP of previously unissued performances, For the First Time ..., which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Dance Band. Reissues of Miller's original recordings sold well perennially. The double-LP A Memorial 1944-1969, released in October 1969, went gold in 1986; Pure Gold, released in March 1975, went gold in 1984. In 1989, Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers sampled Miller's recording of "In the Mood" on their gold single "Swing the Mood." While RCA Victor remains the primary repository of Miller recordings and continues to reissue them in various configurations, other labels have also come up with airchecks and other stray recordings, making for a large and constantly growing catalog. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Continued…

Selected Discography

The Centennial Collection
2004

20 Best Of Glenn Miller
2004

Glenn Miller & The Andrews Sisters: The Chesterfield Broadcasts
2003

Platinum Glenn Miller
2003

Falling In Love With Glenn Miller
2000

The Best Of The Lost Recordings & The Secret Broadcasts
1998

More Greatest Hits
1996

Greatest Hits
1996

Moonlight Serenade
1992

The Unforgettable Glenn Miller
1985

The Essential Glenn Miller
1939

A Memorial
1939

Similar Artists

Airmen Of Note
Artie Shaw
Benny Goodman
Duke Ellington
Tommy Dorsey

actordie says:

10-17-2009

They just don't make songs like this anymore

eileenc2 says:

10-06-2009

wow, I remember my Mom telling me how she went to NYC and Scarsdale NY and danced to this band... she knew all the band members by name and I heard this growing up in Vermont in the 50's and 60's and we were the only family who had a stero player... I learned how to dance to this... some great memories and it is the best music.. of course I love the music from the 50's and 60's as well... I think it is HAPPY music... even if it was around the time of the war..

david hoanshelt says:

edited on 09-16-2009

Every time I hear his music it reminds me of my grandmother and her 78's. How she love to dance with us in the livingroom.

Donald Denton says:

09-13-2009

My parents loved Glenn Miller. Both were Marines. After my mother died, my father was nearly unconsolable but he endured another five years. Shortly after his death, I was walking along Lake Michigan in Evanston one foggy morning. I heard strains from "A String of Pearls"...an d saw ahead of me in the mist my parents dancing together, dressed in their WWII USMC Greens. They were there for just an instant. That was in 1990 and I still remember the incident every time I hear the song.

elaurent1 says:

08-04-2009

Glenn Miller was he greatest of them all. 8/09

dwaynenkruse says:

06-07-2009

great music feel good words and rythm

atommic0 says:

edited on 06-02-2009

Huh. And all this time I thought he looked just like Jimmy Stewart. Well, even so, and even if he is with the aliens - I get a goose bumpy feeling on my neck when I hear the music.

hmanwarren1 says:

05-01-2009

ems77 is an idiot. Miller's plane was downed by concussion from bombers releasing bombs into the channel following an aborted mission. Maybe the aliens abducted GM because they loved the music... idiot

sbraier90 says:

04-30-2009

I go to the University of Colorado in Boulder and I am glad to finally know why we have the Glenn Miller Ballroom. Now, everytime I go there, I think of this great musician.

ems77 says:

edited on 04-08-2009

The great cover-up of the 40's...Glenn Miller did NOT disappear in a plane over the English Channel. Information has come to light over recent years (some of which had been previously classified) that he was actually involved in a brawl at a bordello and died from injuries received. In order to protect his reputation and image (not to mention America's at that time), his family, etc., the tale of the disappearing plane was fabricated. However, there is no disputing his musicianship .

rpulaski says:

03-25-2009

I'm 85 yr old hep cat a big band fan. Glen is #1

jacsonbols says:

01-28-2009

I WAS IN THE ARMY IN 1948 AND THAT WAS THE TIME I WAS HOOK ON GLEN MILLER, AND STILL AM, AM RETIRED AND I AM 78 YEARS OLD, STILL LIKE TO SHAKE A LEG NOW AND THEN .
JACK BOLES

Hans Geisler says:

edited on 01-25-2009

I first heard this fabulous band when I was a young guy in Germany. It was in the movie "Sun Valley Serenade" And I was hooked, There also were the Nichols Brothers- fabulous dancers. Many many years later I got to see Tex Beneke and the Miller band in Los Angeles and had a nice long chat with Tex, I never will forget that Experience

wmasiello says:

01-15-2009

Trends may come and go, but the truly greats never get old. Cheers into the great beyond Maestro Miller!

Christopher says:

12-18-2008

Truly timeless from an age the likes of which we'll never see again.

jcallahan656 2 9 says:

edited on 12-09-2008

Remembering many happy hours dancing to Glenn Miller a few years ago. I am 88 and love to hear the older music.

carole jones says:

11-10-2008

No one could ever replace his music

Matthew says:

11-06-2008

And thank you Steve Allen for the movie you made about Mr. Miller's life.

JAMES M DOUGLAS says:

edited on 11-11-2008

ONE OF THE GREATS OF ALL TIME,LIKED HIS ARMED FORCES BAND AND THE OLD STANDARDS THAT WERE MADE A PART OF MILLER`S MUSIC..SAD HE HAD TO DIE LIKE HE DID..HE WAS A HERO TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.HE PLAYED IN FRONT OF SO MANY ARMED U.S.A. FORCES,HIS RECORDS AND TAPES CDs ARE STILL IN ALOT HOMES IN THE GOOD OLE U.S.A.
THANKS PANDORA FOR KEEPING US HAPPY WITH GLENN MILLER`S MUSIC...

ratgirl22003 says:

edited on 08-28-2008

I do enjoy his music, I even performed a dance to Moonlight Serenede in High school and I'm only 29. I'm also proud to know his only daughter and granddaughte r ( who I call my best friend) they are great people.

cjg51895 says:

08-22-2008

I'm only 13 and I love these songs!

pezaddict says:

08-05-2008

Glenn miller was -and still is- great. He's definetely one of my favorites.

Kevin Patrick Allan Brady-Jones says:

edited on 06-15-2008

While some people might refer to Glenn Miller as a generic artist of the '30's &'40's, when compared to the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Bix Beineikieand others. Never the less, he was loved for his structured approach and the Lindy, the Jittrbug, Swing, and the Bobby Soxers would never be the same, again.

Clarinda says:

edited on 05-20-2008

I love Glenn Miller music it always make me feel happy inside. You put on his music at work or home and on hard days it make it a little easier. I like the morals we had back then. Families stood for something.

swilson--mom of 2 grown sons--bka, dra ma shele to grndson tae-tae! says:

04-28-2008

Just saw a movie on yesterday about the life of this great guy. I really enjoy his sound and am only 40! How 'bout that?

ChknCOOP says:

edited on 04-15-2008

I'm only 21... but I think all of you are right in saying that some of (if not THE best) music came out of the 30's and 40's. It just exudes integrity and nostalgia... I can't explain it, but for me it is still dripping with pure Americana, even if was only a twinkle in my great-grandf a t h e r ' s eye when it was made!

Fred Krinke says:

04-09-2008

On my first "GiG" in 1940, the band I was with, was asked to play "In the Mood" (Glenn Miller arrangement) more than any other tune. We had a ball.

aaj1 says:

03-19-2008

There is something about this sound that gets under your skin (in a good way) and leaves you with a good feeling of "this is the way it should be." It reminds me of a better time in our country when patriotism and people helping people was the rule (and not a rule belittled). Some would attribute this to the fact that I'm 62... but I think not. One can only wonder what it would be if Glenn had lived a full life. Surely the music world would be better for it.

Ash Bash Gash Nash Flash Sash Mash SLash Cash Dash Hash Gnash Lash Rash Wa says:

03-11-2008

I am 18. I adore Glenn Miller and all the others that came from this era.
Don't ever say young ones don't appreciate real music.

kspiker2 says:

03-02-2008

I'm 50 and I love the music from that (30's & 40's) era. Glenn Miller was one of the greats.

glomb2001 says:

02-29-2008

Glenn Miller, even his name swings.
Glenn Miller defines the swing band. Never has any anyone's music affected the lives of so many americans, and continues to do so today. He not only revolutioniz e d swing, but laid down the blueprint that almost all swing bands follow to this day. He also gave the military bands something else besides Sousa marches. Ask any GI how he feels in a parade when the band breaks out with "Saint Louis blues march". GLENN MILLER IS SWING.

jrasmuson1 says:

02-14-2008

I am 60 years old and he was my Mom's guy. First movie I ever cried in.

w0rgs says:

02-08-2008

I am 83 years old and glenn miller was our guy

arm422 says:

edited on 02-04-2008

To say Glenn Miller's music was not appreciated by jazz fans is perhaps an understateme n t . I really enjoy his music, but want to pass along something that I read that was attributed to Artie Shaw who supposedly said "Glenn should have lived, his music should have died."

cappy1947 says:

01-19-2008

61 years old when I hear this music wish I was I was 81

mitgro says:

edited on 01-14-2008

None better, before or since. Perfection, in my humble opinion.

sassyjan says:

01-09-2008

I agree with all the below comments. I have always loved the music from the 40's. The music that came out of the WWII is unsurpassed.

lefsa_lutefi s k says:

01-09-2008

even though it is from a differnt era,it is my favorite music. any mood, any time.

Bob Roberts says:

12-16-2007

Sitting on the front porch, all the lights out, listening to Glenn Miller with my best girlfriend. That is what a good time was for me in the 1940 era.
Love that Swing...

ernesto_fial l o says:

11-24-2007

The best of all

report abuse