Glenn Miller
(1904-1944)

Died aged c. 40

Glenn Miller (Alton Glen Miller) (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was born in Clarinda, Iowa on March 1, 1904. Miller was a famous American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, "ace" arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II when he was an officer in the U.S. 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. He was declared dead after he went missing in action (MIA) on December 15, 1944, on a flight over the English Channel. Standard Operating Procedure for the U.S. military services, Major Alton Glenn Miller, U.S. Army (Air Corps) was officially declared dead a year and a day after his death / MIA status. Moreover, an official Army investigation led to an official finding of death (FOD) for Major Miller, Lt. Col. Norman Baessell and Flight Officer John Morgan who 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 which is run by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Since his body was not recoverable, Major Miller was allowed to have a memorial headstone placed at the U.S. Army-operated Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His civilian band, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, was the best-selling recording band from 1939 to 1942. It did not have a string section, but it did have one 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 iconic theme song - "Moonlight Serenade" and the first gold record ever made - "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (no hyphen). 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 Glenn 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 just four years, Miller scored 16 number one records and 69 top 10 hits, which is more than Elvis Presley (40) and the Beatles (33) got in their careers. His musical legacy includes multiple recordings of his that are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. His work has been performed by swing bands, jazz bands and big bands worldwide for over 75 years. These bands include community bands, school bands (including Yale University Bands) and military bands. Major Glenn Miller is considered to be the father of the modern U.S. military bands. In 1942, Miller volunteered to join the U.S. military to entertain troops during World War II and ended up in the U.S. 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 the following U.S. military big bands: Airmen of Note (U.S. Air Force), Army Blues (The U.S. Army Band), Jazz Ambassadors (U.S. Army Field Band), Ambassadors, formerly called Check Six (U.S. Air Forces in Europe / USAFE Band), Commodores (U.S. Navy Band), and Guardians (U.S. Coast Guard Band). On December 15, 1944, Miller's aircraft disappeared over the English Channel. He and the others on the plane were missing in action, but they were soon given a Finding of Death (FOD) by the U.S. Army. In February 1945, he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

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