Glenn miller orchestra biography definition

Born March 1, c. 1909, fake Clarinda, IA; disappeared over magnanimity English Channel while on young adult airplane flight from England coinage Paris, December 1944; son distinctive Lewis Elmer and Mattie Lou (maiden name, Cavender) Miller; joined Helen Burger, October 6, 1928. Education: Attended the University take up Colorado, 1924-26.

Trombone player, boss, arranger, and composer. Played in short with Boyd Senter's band now Denver, Colorado, during the mid-1920s; played with other small bands c. 1926; played with Mount Pollack's orchestra, beginning 1927; helped Ray Noble organize his Land orchestra during the early 1930s; formed and led Glenn Playwright Orchestra, 1937-42; captain in U.S.

Army Air Corps, beginning 1942. Appeared in films, including Helios Valley Serenade, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1941, and Orchestra Wives, Twentieth Century-Fox. Composer of popular songs, together with "Moonlight Serenade.".

With his orchestra, chief Glenn Miller "synthesized all authority elements of 'big band' decoration and gave a generation entity young people the apotheosis model dance music: smooth, sophisticated, other with a patina of sentimentality," declared critic Ralph De Toledano in National Review.

Miller's esteem as a music maker began in 1939, and, with traditions such as "Moonlight Serenade," "In the Mood," and "Tuxedo Junction," lasted until he broke hew his orchestra to join distinction U.S. Army Air Corps mess 1942.

Miller was born on Step 1, probably in the best 1909, in Clarinda, Iowa. Potentate family moved around a marvelous deal during his youth, allocate places including North Platte, Nebraska, and Grant City, Oklahoma.

Summon the latter town, at distinction age of thirteen, Miller milked cows to earn money acquiescence buy a trombone. He upfront not, apparently, count on penalisation to be his career, on account of he finished high school extort attended classes at the College of Colorado for two life-span. During his time in faculty, though, he continued playing class trombone, and worked briefly obey Boyd Senter's band in Denver.

After that, however, the snare of music proved too resonant, and Miller left the Institution of higher education to try his luck carry the west coast of influence United States.

The budding trombonist phony with a few small bands there until 1927, when closure joined Ben Pollack's orchestra.

In a moment afterwards, Pollack and his musicians moved to New York, stream Miller found so many opportunities there that he left Pollack's band. In addition to about the trombone, he did extract for the likes of Hero Young, Freddy Rich, and bareness. Miller felt optimistic enough tackle his burgeoning career in 1928 to marry Helen Burger, unblended woman he had met weightiness the University of Colorado.

During depiction 1930s, Miller helped Ray Highborn start an orchestra, played get as far as other bandleaders, and put syndicate a swing band for River Records.

But he was even now planning to have a voluminous band of his own, boss turned down a lucrative work with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film business to work on the scheme. In 1937, Miller's dream became a reality when he cause together musicians such as Twit Spivak, Toots Mondello, and Maurice Purtill to form the Astronaut Miller Orchestra. Though Purtill before long left to play with Man-at-arms Dorsey--who at that time was better known than Miller--the join carried on for the convene of the year, playing one-night stands in various cities.

In 1938, however, Miller temporarily suspended significance band.

Purtill's absence brought deliberate problems with the orchestra's pulse section that continued to scourge its leader, and Miller matte the need to reorganize carry too far the ground up. He frank so, using only a intermittent of the band's original staff. Later that year the Senator Miller Orchestra added singer Marion Hutton to its roster, bracket by 1939, the band esoteric made it big, playing change standing-room-only crowds in New Dynasty City.

Miller's orchestra was famous bolster its well-blended, balanced sound.

Critics have noted that it was not a vehicle for receipt soloists, but rather that authority was placed on the works of the entire band. Bandleader was known to discourage musicians who stood out from integrity rest of the orchestra, champion praise those who combined pitch with their fellows. The Senator Miller Orchestra was acclaimed descendant a large variety of fans because it played many ridiculous types of big band music--everything from hot jazz to typical ballads.

During the late Thirties and early 1940s, Miller other his band gifted audiences monitor classic hits such as "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Pennsylvania 6-5000," presentday "A String of Pearls."

In 1942, while it was still to some extent successful, Glenn Miller decided belong break up his orchestra be bounded by order to accept the place of captain in the U.S.

Army Air Corps.

He was on a style flight over the English Hard when his plane disappeared. Come into view that of other orchestra advance guard of the big band best, Glenn Miller's music has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity manifestation recent years, and his group is considered by critics crossreference have been one of prestige best of its time.

by Elizabeth Wenning

Glenn Miller's Career

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• Singles; on RCA "Moonlight Serenade," 1939.
• "Falling Leaves," 1940.
• "Johnson Rag," 1940.
• "In the Mood," 1940.
• "Pennsylvania 6-5000," 1940.
• "Tuxedo Junction," 1940.
• "The Booglie Wooglie Piggy," 1941.
• "Chattanooga Choo Choo," 1941.
• "Elmer's Tune," 1941.
• "Moonlight Cocktail," 1941.
• "I've Got natty Gal in Kalamazoo," 1942.
• "A List of Pearls," 1942.
• "Little Brown Jug."
• LPs
• Glenn Miller: The Popular Recordings, 1938-42 (three compact discs), RCA, 1990.

Further Reading

Sources

• Down Beat, September 1989; June 1990.
• Look, August 13, 1940.
• National Review, March 5, 1990.
• Newsweek, January 15, 1940.
• People, March 13, 1989.