Say It Over and Over Again Glenn Miller
By Jeff Olson
In his seminal volume, The Large Bands (1967), George T. Simon writes, "Of all the outstanding popular trip the light fantastic toe bands, the ane that evokes the near memories of how wonderfully romantic it all was, the one whose music people want to hear over and over again, is the band of the tardily Glenn Miller."
This is still true today, nearly four generations after that tragic day lxx-five years ago. On the afternoon of December 15, 1944, Glenn Miller set out in a small-scale aeroplane over the English Channel to make arrangements for his band's arrival in Paris a few days after. Neither the airplane nor whatsoever of its 3 occupants were ever heard from again. Glenn was survived by his wife Helen and their two children, Steven and Jonnie.
Alton Glenn Miller was born on March 1, 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa. He attended the Academy of Colorado for 2 years, but dropped out to pursue a music career. However, during the Great Depression jobs were difficult to find, fifty-fifty those in the music concern. Boyfriend musician and friend Benny Goodman tells of he and Glenn sharing an apartment together and how there was not enough work to get around. As he remembered, "…things got and then rough for the states that occasionally they would get up early and borrow empty milk bottles from in forepart of other apartments and cash them in at the local grocery store then nosotros could buy hot dogs for lunch."
In add-on to being a good musician, Glenn Miller had a abrupt business apprehending and was adamant to lead his own band one twenty-four hours. He believed "A band ought to have a sound all of its own. It ought to have a personality."Later more than a decade of looking for work and playing equally a trombonist and arranger for several bands and orchestras, Glenn started his own band in early 1937. The band lasted less than a twelvemonth, merely he learned a lot from it and with a resolve not to requite upward. He started a new band within several months and this fourth dimension at that place was no looking dorsum. Through this band, Glenn found that sound he had been long searching for, and it caught on about overnight. During the next iii years, the Glenn Miller Orchestra became the number one dance band in America with a string of 59 superlative ten songs (of which 17 were #1) and was featured in 2 motion pictures, Lord's day Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives. Their 1942 recording of Chattanooga Choo Choo became the starting time gilt tape awarded in the music manufacture.
In December 1941, America entered World State of war II. While our troops could occasionally mind to Miller's music through USO radio broadcasts and camp appearances, this wasn't enough for Glenn Miller. On Baronial 12, 1942, he penned a letter of the alphabet to Brigadier General Charles D. Immature expressing a strong desire to bring his music and ideas to the troops overseas, virtually of whom were Miller fans before their entrance into the military. In his words, "I have an idea that such programs might put a little more bound into the feet of our marching men and a little more joy into their hearts."
In his letter Glenn requested to "go into the army", and he did and then at the apex of his music career, with his orchestra's weekly gross income ranging from $fifteen,000 to $twenty,000 per calendar week [$243,000 to $308,000 in 2018 dollars]. How could anyone walk abroad from this level of hard-earned success and too risk life itself when he didn't take to? And besides, he was non obliged to serve as he was besides one-time to be drafted. In Glenn's words, "I, like every American, have an obligation to fulfill. That obligation is to lend every bit much support as I can to winning the war. Information technology is not plenty for me to sit back and buy bonds…The mere fact that I have had the privilege of exercising the rights to live and work as a costless man puts me in the same position every bit every human in uniform, for it was the freedom and the democratic way of life we have that enabled me to make strides in the right management."
On Oct 7, 1942, Glenn Miller was inducted in to the U.S. Army. In November he received his commission as a captain and was assigned to the Ground forces Specialist Corps (A.Southward.C). Immediately, Glenn set out to implement his ideas and do something new and dissimilar and exciting for Army Air Forces's (AAF) music and morale. His plans centered on organizing several outstanding bands. Each would be trained to play both inspiring marching music and outstanding dance band music. Unfortunately, nigh of his plans didn't materialize due to government/military bureaucracy and entrenched traditions. In one example, a post commander scolded Glenn for playing swinging march arrangements of jazz tunes for cadets to march to. "Look, Helm Miller, we played those Sousa marches straight in the last war and we did all right, didn't we?" To which Glenn replied, "You certainly did, Major. But tell me 1 thing: Are you lot still flying the same planes y'all flew in the last war, too?" The band connected to play its swinging blues marches.
One of Glenn's projects which did materialize was his organization of an AAF band. The band was shipped out to England in late 1943. It toured war zones in Europe and in less than one year was 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. Every bit Glenn stated, "We didn't come hither to set any fashions in music. We merely came to bring a much-needed touch of dwelling to some lads who have been here a couple of years."
While Major Glenn Miller is however officially classified as "missing in action," his music certainly hasn't been. Since 1956 new editions of the Glenn Miller Orchestra have recorded and toured, keeping his music and legacy alive and relevant to new generations. Three of Glenn's original recordings, Moonlight Serenade, In the Mood, and Chattanooga Choo Choo, have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2003, Glenn posthumously received the Grammy Lifetime Accomplishment Award.
Glenn'south dearest of music and love of land were undeniable and inseparable. In ane of the I Sustain the Wings radio broadcasts, he commented, "America ways liberty and there'due south no expression of freedom quite then sincere every bit music."
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Source: https://mypulsenews.com/reflections-from-history-and-faith-glenn-miller-in-memoriam-1944-2019/
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