Glenn Miller

Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American jazz musician and band leader in the Swing era. In the middle of a very successful career, including many famous recordings, he disappeared under mysterious circumstances during World War II.

Military service, disappearance, and personality

In 1942, Miller joined the United States Air Force and was commissioned as a Captain. He was also appointed Commander of the Band and devoted himself to reorganising it. Then he formed the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band, that gave over 800 performances overseas in two years to U.S. servicemen. Ray McKinley, Bobby Nichols, Hank Freeman, Peanuts Hucko and Mel Powell were some of the musicians in the band. Johnny Desmond and the Crew Chiefs were the singers.

Related Topics:
1942 - United States Air Force - Captain - Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band

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On December 15 1944, he was scheduled to fly from England to Paris to play for the soldiers that had recently liberated the city. His plane disappeared over the English Channel and was never found. Miller's death remains somewhat of a mystery; the fact that neither Miller's remains nor the wreckage of his plane (a single-engined Norseman UC-64, USAAF Tail Number 44-70285) were ever recovered from the Channel have led to many conspiracy theories over the years. A popular theory holds that, in the foggy weather that bedeviled the Channel on that date, Glenn Miller's plane strayed into a "safe drop" zone and was bombed out of the air by Canadian Air Force bombers disposing of bombs that went unused during an aborted bombing run on German positions. Despite Miller's death, his band continued to play for troops until August 1945, when the members were discharged and returned to New York.

Related Topics:
December 15 - 1944 - England - Paris - English Channel

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According to Leo Walker in his book The Big Band Almanac, few people knew Glenn Miller well. Two people who did get to know Miller well, however, were Don Haynes, Miller's manager, and George T. Simon, jazz critic and author of Glenn Miller & His Orchestra. Don Haynes told Walker that Miller was a reserved person, but extremely warm towards those near him.

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But other musicians who were associated with Miller thought differently. They all respected Miller, but they described him as all business, generally cold, perhaps insecure and a person who had a driving ambition to be successful. They agreed that Miller was a musical perfectionist.

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"Glenn had guts," said George T. Simon in his book The Big Bands. "He could also spot phonies, whom he truly detested. If you were straight with Glenn, he'd give you at least the time of day. But if you weren't, he wouldn't even give you the time of night."

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Post Mortem

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