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Alton Glenn Miller
1 March 1904 - 15 December 1944
Clarinda, Iowa
Pictured on one of a set of four 29¢ US commemorative postage stamps in the Legends of American Music series, issued 11 September 1996, celebrating big band leaders. Other band leaders honored in this issue are Count Basie; Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey; and Benny Goodman.
"A band ought to have a sound all of its own. It ought to have a personality."
-- Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician and band leader in the swing era who was probably the genre's best-selling performer from 1939-42. After a very successful career, including many famous recordings, he disappeared under mysterious circumstances during World War II, while on a flight to entertain U.S. troops in France.
Whether or not the crash abetted it, Miller's signature recordings -- including, among others, "In the Mood", "Tuxedo Junction", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "Moonlight Serenade", "Sun Valley Jump", and "Pennsylvania 6-5000" (named for the exchange of his New York hotel residence) -- have remained familiar, even to generations born decades after their creator was killed.
Glenn Miller died when the plane he was flying in disappeared over the English Channel in 1944. It was never known exactly why his plane disappeared until 1985. At that time, a group of former RAF pilots admitted that when they were unable to drop their bombs on Germany during a routine bombing run (due to poor visibility), they dropped the bombs over the English Channel--unfortunately, Glenn Miller's plane was flying below the bombers when they unloaded their bombs.
Glenn was arguably the most popular big band leader of all time. His many recordings for RCA Victor and HMV, the latter recorded while his Army Air Force (AAF) band was stationed in England, have remained in print consistantly since his untimely death and still continue to enjoy brisk sales worldwide.
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