Glenn Miller
Alton Glen (Glenn) Miller (March 1, 1904 – disappeared December 15, 1944) 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. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was one of the most popular and successful bands of the 20th century and the big band era. His military group, the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra, was also popular and successful. Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was the best-selling recording band from 1939 to 1942. Miller's civilian band did not have a string section as his military unit did, but it 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 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". 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. In four years, Miller scored 16 number one records and 69 top 10 hits, more than Elvis Presley (40) and the Beatles in their careers. 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. 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. 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 was the forerunner of many US military big bands. Miller went missing in action (MIA) on December 15, 1944, on a flight over the English Channel. In keeping with standard operating procedure for the US military services, Miller was officially declared dead a year and a day later. An Army investigation led to an official finding of death (FOD) for Miller, Norman Baessell, and John Morgan, all of whom died on the same flight. All three officers are listed on the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridge, England. 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. In February 1945, he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 1, 1904 (Clarinda), Died December 15, 1944 (English Channel)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928 - 1946
Roles Represented in DAHR: trombone, director, arranger, composer, songwriter, leader
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 332 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-50913 | 10-in. | 3/5/1929 | On with the dance | Park Central Orchestra ; Ben Pollack | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | arranger | |
Victor | BVE-57145 | 10-in. | 11/14/1929 | Hello Lola | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BVE-57146 | 10-in. | 11/14/1929 | One hour | Mound City Blue Blowers | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-027410 | 10-in. | 9/27/1938 | My reverie | Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director | |
Victor | BS-027411 | 10-in. | 9/27/1938 | By the waters of Minnetonka (Indian love song) | Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director | |
Victor | BS-027412 | 10-in. | 9/27/1938 | By the waters of Minnetonka (Indian love song) | Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director | |
Victor | BS-027413 | 10-in. | 9/27/1938 | King Porter stomp | Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director | |
Victor | BS-033607 | 10-in. | 2/6/1939 | (Gotta get some) Shut-eye | Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
Victor | BS-033608 | 10-in. | 2/6/1939 | How I'd like to be with you in Bermuda | Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-033609 | 10-in. | 2/6/1939 | Cuckoo in the clock | Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-033610 | 10-in. | 2/6/1939 | Romance runs in the family | Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035399 | 10-in. | 4/4/1939 | The chestnut tree ('Neath the spreading chestnut tree) | Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
Victor | BS-035700 | 10-in. | 4/4/1939 | And the angels sing | Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035701 | 10-in. | 4/4/1939 | Moonlight serenade | Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | composer, director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035702 | 10-in. | 4/4/1939 | The lady's in love with you | Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035729 | 10-in. | 4/10/1939 | Wishing (Will make it so) | Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
Victor | BS-035730 | 10-in. | 4/10/1939 | Three little fishies (Itty bitty poo) | Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton | Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and vocal ensemble | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035731 | 10-in. | 4/10/1939 | Sunrise serenade | Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035732 | 10-in. | 4/10/1939 | Little brown jug | Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035764 | 10-in. | 4/18/1939 | My last goodbye | Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
Victor | BS-035765 | 10-in. | 4/18/1939 | But it didn't mean a thing | Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035766 | 10-in. | 4/18/1939 | Pavanne | Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-035767 | 10-in. | 4/18/1939 | Runnin' wild | Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | director, instrumentalist, trombone | |
Victor | BS-036877 | 10-in. | 5/9/1939 | To you | Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | instrumentalist, trombone, director | |
Victor | BS-036878 | 10-in. | 5/9/1939 | Stairway to the stars | Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | director, instrumentalist, trombone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Miller, Glenn," accessed September 3, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102013.
Miller, Glenn. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/102013.
"Miller, Glenn." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 3 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Glenn Miller
Discogs: Glenn Miller
Allmusic: Glenn Miller
Apple Music: Glenn Miller
Grove: Glenn Miller
RILM: Glenn Miller
RISM: Glenn Miller
IMDb: Glenn Miller
Britannica: Glenn Miller
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Miller, Glenn, 1904-1944 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50033672
Wikidata: Glenn Miller - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q103651
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/51876099
MusicBrainz: Glenn Miller - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7b353d3c-2bd9-40e3-a21d-b7da3f941339
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.