... and although he had a recording contract with Bluebird,
the first year was mostly a struggle. However this time around, by having
a clarinet double the melody of the saxophones an octave higher, he had
his own trademark. An engagement at Glen Island Casino in the summer of
1939 earned the orchestra a regular radio broadcast and soon their
recordings of "Moonlight Serenade" (Miller's theme),
"Sunrise Serenade" and particularly "Little Brown Jug"
became hits and by the end of the year Glenn Miller was a household name
and his band was considered a sensation. During 1939-42 there were many
additional hits including "In the Mood," "At Last,"
"Stairway to the Stars," "Tuxedo Junction,"
"Pennsylvania 6-5000," "Chattanooga Choo Choo,"
"A String of Pearls," "Elmer's Tune," "Don't Sit
Under the Apple Tree," "American Patrol," "I've Got a
Gal in Kalamazoo," "Serenade in Blue" and "Jukebox
Saturday Night." There was simply no competition!
From the jazz standpoint, Miller's best soloists were trumpeters Clyde
Hurley, Johnny Best and (by 1942) Bobby Hackett. Tex Beneke, who was more
famous for his good-natured vocals, was a decent tenor-saxophonist who had
a lot of short solos. Less tolerable to jazz listeners were the many
ballad vocals of Ray Eberle (who often sounded as if he were straining)
and the lightweight but cheerful contributions of singer Marion Hutton.
Only Glenn Miller's decision to enlist in the Army stopped his orchestra's
success. He did the near-impossible and organized the finest military jazz
band ever heard, his Army Air Force Band. By 1944, when it had relocated
to London, it featured clarinetist Peanuts Hucko, pianist Mel Powell,
drummer/singer Ray McKinley, trumpeter Bobby Nichols and sometimes a
string section and a vocal group. Their version of "St. Louis Blues
March" became famous and this group's broadcasts and radio
transcriptions are well worth searching for. Glenn Miller flew across the
English Channel in December 1944 with plans of setting up engagements on
the Continent. His plane was shot down (quite possibly in error by the
Allies) and lost.
The Army Air Force Band stayed together through 1945. There have been many
Glenn Miller ghost orchestras since, but all have been stuck in the role
of recreating the past including note-for-note duplications of the
recorded solos. The oddest case is Tex Beneke who has spent the past 50
years essentially performing over and over again the same routines that he
had done with Miller during a three-year period!
All of Glenn Miller's Bluebird recordings (from 1938-42) have been
reissued a countless number of times including in "complete"
sets. His band appears quite prominently in two Hollywood movies of the
1940s (Sun Valley Serenade and Orchestra Wives) that are recommended
viewing. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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