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Glenn Miller Orchestra music biography continued...

Orchestra, founded by trombonist Glenn Miller in 1937 was a flop, but in 1938, Miller organized another orchestra that focused on a singular reed sound formed by the clarinet and tenor saxophone playing the melody line with a number of other saxes harmonizing. With this new sound combination, Glenn Miller found a way to differentiate his band's style from the many bands that existed in the late thirties. In September 1938, the Miller band began making recordings for the RCA Victor, Bluebird Records' subsidiary. At the same time, they gave a performance at the Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle, New York, which made them stars overnight. From 1939 to 1942, Miller's band was featured three times a week during a broadcast for Chesterfield cigarettes, originally with the Andrews Sisters and then on its own. During this time it recorded and performed a string of hit songs including "In the Mood," "Tuxedo Junction," "Chattanooga Choo Choo," "Moonlight Serenade," "Little Brown Jug" and "Pennsylvania 6-5000." The end of the Glenn Miller Orchestra's dominance of popular music ended in 1942, when Miller received an officer's commission in the Army/Air Force. Miller organized a service band, performed at military camps, and hosted a weekly radio series. In 1944, he took his band to Great Britain, performed for the troops and did radio broadcasts. But on December 15 Miller boarded a transport plane to Paris and was never seen again.



Miller's disappearance remains a mystery, but the Glenn Miller Orchestra survived him.The band was reconstituted under the direction of Tex Beneke, its lead tenor saxophonist, singer, and one of Miller's longtime close friends. A few years later, the Miller estate, having parted ways with Beneke, hired Ray McKinley, principal drummer in Miller's Army Air Force band, to organize a new "ghost band" in 1956. The Glenn Miller Orchestra continued to record and perform under various leaders starting in 1956 and is still touring today. Currently trombonist Larry O'Brien leads the band, keeping its legacy alive.