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| Claire Trevor & John Wayne in Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939) |
Artist of the year : Glenn Miller
His style sums up in itself the big bands era. The picture of him in the US Air Force uniform and his untimely death at 40 above the Channel while flying to Paris built a myth, pairing for ever his memory to the war years.
It is nevertheless only in 1939 that he found his place in the inner-circle of fashionable bandleaders. Born into a farmers' family, he spent his childhood in Iowa and Missouri. The little Glenn showed very early a gift for music and began to play mandolin before buying a trombone with the money earned from milk's sale. He even managed to enter at 13 the local brass band when his parents decided to move to Colorado.
He completed there his college studies but wished above all to be a professional musician. His style: dance music.
He spent some time at Denver University without real incentive and soon left to dedicate to the study of the musical composition system taught by composer Joseph Schillinger of whom he somehow made his tutor. This one developed a theory exclusively based on mathematical principles which, although controversial, got many followers among whom George Gershwin, Benny Goodman or Tommy Dorsey.
Glenn Miller started his professional career in Ben Pollack's orchestra. He met there Benny Goodman with whom he composed in particular Room 1411, an instrumental recorded in 1928 for Brunswick. He joined later bandleader Red Nichols based in New York and hired from 1930 his services as a freelance trombonist and arranger. He had, as such, the opportunity to work with the Dorsey Brothers, the Boswell Sisters and contributed to the development of the famous American orchestra of English bandleader Ray Noble.
He decided in 1937 to form his own band but for lack of proposing a personal style, success was late to come and he had to give up. He understood the need to stand out with a really new sound and hired saxophonist Wilbur Schwartz whose playing perfectly fitted to what he expected. He started recording in September, 1938 for RCA Victor and Bluebird Records and found at last through the businessman If Shriman, the financial support he had lacked during his first experience. Next spring, his concerts in New York attracted crowds, his records snapped up and topped the jukeboxes.
Composed by Harold Arlen & "Yip" Harburg, the song performed by Judy Garland in the Wizard Of Oz will be adopted during World War II by the fighting American troops as a symbol of their far fatherland.
(Saxie Dowell) |  |  | ||
2
|
Ella Fitzgerald & Her Famous Orchestra
|
This Time It's Real
(Walter Shivers/Buddy Bernier/Bob Emmerich) | | |
3
|
Judy Garland
|
Over The Rainbow
(Harold Arlen/"Yip" Harburg) | | |
4
|
Artie Shaw
|
All The Things You Are feat. Helen Forrest
(Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II) | | |
5
|
Billie Holiday
|
Strange Fruit
(Abel Meeropol) | | |
6
|
Benny Goodman
|
And The Angels Sing feat. Martha Tilton
(Ziggy Elman/Johnny Mercer) | | |
7
|
Erskine Hawkins
|
I Hadn't Anyone Till You feat. Dolores Brown
(Ray Noble) | | |
8
|
The Andrews Sisters
|
Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)
(James Whitcombe Riley) | | |
9
|
Pete Johnson & His Boogie- Woogie Boys
|
Cherry Red feat. Joe Turner
(Pete Johnson/Joe Turner) | | |
10
|
Kay Kyser
|
Indian Summer feat. Ginny Simms
(Victor Herbert/Al Dubin) | | |
11
|
Bob Chester & His Orchestra
|
Shoot The Sherbert To Me Herbert
feat. Kathleen Lane (Slim Gaillard/Greer) | | |
12
|
Billie Holiday
|
The Man I Love
(George & Ira Gershwin) | | |
13
|
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
|
Stairway To The Stars feat. Ray Eberle
(Matty Malneck/Mitchell Parish) | | |
14
|
Benny Goodman
|
Scatter Brain feat. Mildred Bailey
(Johnny Burke/Frankie Masters) | | |
15
|
Ella Fitzgerald & Her Famous Orchestra
|
Moon Ray
(Artie Quenzer/Artie Shaw/Paul Madison) | | |
Tommy Dorsey
|
All The Things You Are feat. Jack Leonard
(Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II) | | | |
17
|
Al Donahue
|
Jeepers Creepers feat. Paula Kelly
(Harry Warren/Johnny Mercer) | | |
18
|
Billie Holiday
|
More Than You Know
(Billy Rose/Edward Eliscu/Vincent Youmans) | | |
19
|
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
|
Ain't Cha Comin' Out feat. Marion Hutton & Tex Beneke
(Bert Kalmar/Harry Rubin) | | |
20
|
Ozzie & Harriet Nelson
|
No Mama No
(Nat Gonella) | | |
21
|
Charlie Barnet
|
It Must Have Been Two Other People feat. Judy Ellington
(Arthur Altman/Carmen Lombardo/Jack Lawrence) | | |
22
|
Hal Kemp
|
Three Little Fishies feat. The Smoothies
(Saxie Dowell) | | |
23
|
Red Norvo & Mildred Bailey
|
Says My Heart
(Burton Lane/Frank Loesser) | | |
24
|
Louis Jordan
|
Honeysuckle Rose
(Andy Razaf/Fats Waller) | | |
25
|
Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
|
Heaven Can Wait feat. Clyde Burke
(Jimmy Van Heusen/Eddie DeLange) | | |
26
|
Bob Crosby & His Bobcats
|
Day In, Day Out feat. Helen Ward
(Rube Bloom/Johnny Mercer) | | |
27
|
Lionel Hampton & His Orchesta
|
Big Wig In The Wigwam
(Byron Bradley/Kenneth Case/Roe Alexander)) | | |
28
|
Bing Crosby & Connee Boswell
|
Between 18th & 9th on Chestnut Street
(Will Osborne/Dick Roger) | | |
29
|
Glenn Miller
|
My Prayer feat. Ray Eberle
(Georges Boulanger/Jimmy Kennedy) | | |
30
|
Ella Fitzgerald
|
My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(Cole Porter) | | |
31
|
Louis Prima & His New Orleans Gang
|
Of Thee I Sing
(George & Ira Gershwin) | | |
32
|
Betty Hutton with the Vincent Lopez Orchestra
|
Old Man Mose Is Dead
(Zilner Randolph) | | |
Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
|
Yodelin' Jive
(Don Raye/Hughie Prince) | | | |
34
|
Tommy Dorsey
|
Blue Rain feat. Jack Leonard
(James Van Heusen/Johnny Mercer) | | |
35
|
Benny Goodman
|
There'll Be Some Changes Made feat. Louise Tobin
(Billy Higgins/W. Benton/Overstreet/Walter Donaldson) | | |
36
|
Jack Teagarden
|
At Least You Could Say Hello feat. Kitty Kallen
(Charles J. McCarthy/Louis Robertson/Sammy Mysels) | | |
37
|
Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm
|
South Of The Border feat. Hal Derwin
(Jimmy Kennedy/Michael Carr) | | |
38
|
The Ink Spots
|
Address Unknown
(Carmen Lombardo/Dedette Lee Hill/Johnny Marks) | | |
Tony Martin
|
It's A Blue World
(George Forrest/Robert Wright) | | | |
40
|
The Dandridge Sisters
|
Undecided
(Charlie Shavers/Sidney Robin) | | |
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