Glenn Miller & His Orchestra

by George T. Simon

Moonlight Serenade, Sunrise Serenade, Little Brown Jug, In the Mood... These and other memorable tunes endeared Glenn Miller to millions in the Swing Era and all who recall those times. After playing trombone and arranging for leading orchestras of the Dorsey brothers, Ray Noble, Ben Pollack, and Red Nichols, Glenn Miller formed his own "sweet" band, which from 1938 to 1942 achieved widespread popularity second only to Benny Goodman's. Miller learned all he could from these and other bands like Jimmie Lunceford's and Artie Shaw's, going on to create a uniquely rich sound with clarinet over four saxes and four trombones ("three-part harmony sounds too thin," he once exclaimed). Simon tells of both the successes and hard times of Miller's illustrious career, up to his celebrated Army Air Force band and his untimely death.

Genres: Biography, Music, Nonfiction

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Ronald]

informative bio of not the greatest trombone player but possibly the most disciplined band leader of them all who knew what kind of sound he wanted; written by someone who knew him personally, wrote for a music magazine, and sometimes played in his orchestra!

[David]

Complete (as of the time it was written) biography of one of the big-band era's best-known leaders. And Miller also was the only top orchestra leader to play a significant role during World War II, both in the U.S. and overseas, until he was lost over the English Channel on December 15, 1944. (See the recently published Glenn Miller Declassified for more detail on the latter stages of Miller's career.)

Simon's book is insightful and entertaining. Simon was a younger friend and supporter of Miller and, as a correspondent for the music-industry magazine "Metronome," was well-informed about bands and musicians of the 1930s and 1940s and frequently suggested musicians to Miller. Simon saw and experienced a variety of Miller's moods and sometimes-puzzling actions. Simon is honest about being a Miller admirer but also admits that he (Simon) sometimes resented Miller. The book in no way glosses over Miller's faults, but is fair and positive in total.

In addition to this book on Miller, I highly recommend George Simon's other books covering the big-band era and the "swing" and "sweet" groups and their leaders. See The Big Bands and The Big Bands Songbook.

I also suggest those interested in Glenn Miller and his era tune in to podcasts of "The Star-Spangled Radio Hour," a weekly series about 1930s - 1940s big bands produced by Dennis M. Spragg* of The Glenn Miller Collections at the University of Colorado's American Music Research Center. While "The Star-Spangled Radio Hour" has existed for 15 or more years, the web site includes perhaps 50 of the best from the past (re-posted in the past three years) and new episodes weekly in 2023. As you would expect, there's lots in the podcasts featuring Glenn Miller, including his WW II GI musical groups, but also much info on and music from Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw and a good smattering of music from other bands.

*Spragg is the author of Glenn Miller Declassified

[Steve Herreid]

Loved the book, but I am a fan of Glenn Miller. Informal writing style but informative. Full of pictures.

[Sally Bahner]

I've always loved Glenn Miller's music and heard the newest iteration of the orchestra play locally a year. It was a religious experience. I set out to learn more and read "Glenn Miller: Declassified" and "Glenn Miller: The Life and Legacy of Early 20th Century America's Most Popular Musician." Simon's book was not available on Kindle, so I held off before finally ordering it in paperback.
This book was written in the early '70s and this edition was reproduced from the original -- almost like it was photocopied. Simon was a writer for Metronome magazine and sometime drummer, who followed Miller from the beginning. At almost 500 pages, it's the definitive telling of Miller's all-too-short career, citing chapter and verse all of the musicians he interacted with over the years. It also describes his service during World War II and his incredible contribution to the morale of soldiers.
Miller's musical legacy continues to this day with the Glenn Miller Orchestra (which used original sheet music) touring wold wide.
Oh, and I have tickets for another performance Dec. 4!