A Legend Lives On: The Glenn Miller Orchestra

The legendary Glenn Miller was one of the most successful of all the dance bandleaders back in the Swing era of the 1930s and ‘40s. A string of hit records, the constant impact of radio broadcasts and the drawing power at theatres, hotels, and dance pavilions built and sustained the band’s popularity.

But Glenn disbanded his musical organization in 1942, at the height of its popularity, volunteered for the Army and then went on to organize and lead the famous Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. It went to Europe to entertain servicemen, and then, on December 15, 1944, Major Miller took off in a single-engine plane from England to precede his band to France, never to be seen again. The army declared him officially dead a year later.

Because of popular demand, the Miller Estate authorized the formation of the present Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956 under the direction of drummer Ray McKinley, who had become the unofficial leader of the Army Air Force Band after Glenn’s disappearance. Since then, other leaders have followed Ray, including clarinetists Buddy DeFranco and Peanuts Hucko, trumpeter & jazz educator Dick Lowenthal, drummer Clem DeRosa, trombonists Buddy Morrow, Jimmy Henderson and Larry O’Brien and tenor saxophonist Dick Gerhart.

Most of the band’s shows are sold out. It has proven staying power, and its popularity has never seemed to wane. Indeed, the Glenn Miller Orchestra today may still the most sought after big-band in the world, just as it was in Glenn’s day.

Alton Glenn Miller was born in Clarinda, Iowa on March 1, 1904. But it was in North Platte, Nebraska—several years later—that Glenn actually got his musical start when, one day, his father brought home a mandolin. Glenn promptly traded it for an old battered horn, which he practiced every chance he got.

Miller played and recorded with the likes of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey (who on several of their records featured an up-and-coming singer by the name of Bing Crosby), Gene Krupa, Eddie Condon and Coleman Hawkins. In addition, during that time, Glenn cut 18 sides for Goodman, and also worked for radio studio conductors like Victor Young, Carl Fenton and Jacques Renard. In 1934, Miller became the musical director of the Dorsey Band, and later went on to organize The Ray Noble Orchestra, which included such players as Charlie Spivak, Peewee Erwin, Bud Freeman, Johnny Mince, George Van Eps and Delmar Kaplan, among others.

In 1937, Glenn Miller stepped out to form his own band. There were a few recordings, a couple of week-long stints in New Orleans and Dallas and many one-nighters, but it was not to be. Though the group would play one more date several days later in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Glenn gave his men their final notice on New Year’s Eve at the Valencia Ballroom in York, Pennsylvania. Broke, depressed and having no idea what he was going to do, he returned to New York City.

Formed in March 1938, the second Glenn Miller Orchestra—which would later include the likes of Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ray Eberle, Paul Tanner, Johnny Best, Hal McIntyre, and Al Klinck—soon began breaking attendance records up and down the East Coast. At the New York State Fair in Syracuse it attracted the largest dancing crowd in the city’s history. The next night it topped Guy Lombardo’s all-time record at the Hershey Park Ballroom in Pennsylvania. The Orchestra was invited by ASCAP to perform at Carnegie Hall with three of the greatest bands ever—Paul Whiteman, Fred Waring and Benny Goodman—and created more of a stir than any of them.

There were record-breaking recordings as well, such as “Tuxedo Junction,” which sold 115,000 copies in the first week. “In the Mood,” and “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” all appearing on the RCA Victor Bluebird label. In early 1940, Down Beat Magazine announced that Miller had topped all other bands in its Sweet Band Poll, and capping off this seemingly sudden rise to the top, there was, of course, Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade” radio series for Chesterfield cigarettes which aired three times a week over CBS.

In 1941, it was off to Hollywood, where the band worked on its first movie, “Sun Valley Serenade,” which introduced the song—and soon-to-be million selling record—“Chattanooga Choo Choo,” and featured the Modernaires and the Nicholas Brothers. Then came “Orchestra Wives.” But the war was starting to take its toll on many of the big bands as musicians, and the rest of country’s young men, began receiving draft notices.

On October 7, 1942, Alton Glenn Miller reported for induction into the Army and was immediately assigned to the Army Specialist Corps. His appointment as a Captain came after many months of convincing the military higher-ups that he could modernize the army band and ultimately improve the morale of the men. His training complete, he was transferred into the Army Air Corps, where he ultimately organized the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band. Miller’s goal of entertaining the fighting troops took another year to be realized, but in late 1943 he and the band were shipped out to England.

There, in less than one year, the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band engaged in over 800 performances. Of these, 500 were broadcasts heard by millions. There were more than 300 personal appearances including concerts and dances, with a gross attendance of over 600,000. But Glenn did not participate in the final six months of these activities.

In the Fall of 1944, the band was scheduled to be sent on a six-week tour of Europe and would be stationed in Paris during that time. Miller decided to go ahead, in order to make the proper arrangements for the group’s arrival. And so, on December 15, Glenn Miller boarded a transport plane to Paris, and disappeared.

Larry O’Brien became the leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 25, 1988. It was the second time that Larry had held the position; the first time being from June, 1981 through September, 1983, when he was called away by other commitments.

“I’m only somewhat amazed about the Miller mystique,” Larry stated. “It’s many-faceted. There’s more than one reason for the continuing popularity of the band. For one thing, Glenn gave up a lucrative band business when he was at his zenith to join the service when he didn’t have to. He was immensely popular when he entered the service. The band had sold more records in a year than, I think, [than] Elvis or the Beatles ever did in a year. Then he went on to form a monster band, play all over Europe for the GIs, help sell a lot of war bonds, improve morale, and generally contribute greatly to the war effort.”

He then added, “Finally, he disappeared mysteriously in a plane that took off from England for France on December 15, 1944. No trace of the plane has ever been found. So I think it’s a combination of all these factors in addition to the great Miller sound itself that keeps his music and his name alive.”

O’Brien has his own ideas about how to keep the Miller style and sound fresh. “I’m a traditionalist, but we’re not nit-picky Miller. We’ve instituted some changes we think Glenn probably would have instituted himself were he still here such as retaining the voicing of Danny Boy as a brass chorale, but replacing the trumpets with fluegelhorns and having the trombones play in hat.”

The band also boasts Julia Rich. Julia became the featured female vocalist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 16, 1985 at the Opryland Hotel in her hometown of Nashville. In addition to singing, Julia served as assistant road manager from 1987 - 1992 and the band’s road manager through 2000.

The 19-member band continues to play many of the original Miller arrangements that keep exciting fans who have not heard them played for a while. Additionally, they are also playing more modern selections in the big-band style, selecting only those newer tunes that lend themselves naturally to the Miller style and sound, carefully selected pieces that will stay around for a while. The entire repertoire, which now exceeds 1,700 compositions, keeps the band popular for both young and old.