Glenn Miller Orchestra

Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was an American swing dance band that was formed by Glenn Miller in 1938. Arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, and three other saxophones playing harmony, the band became the most popular and commercially successful dance orchestra of the swing era and one of the greatest singles-charting acts of the 20th century. As of 2025, Ray Anthony is the last surviving member of the orchestra.

Miller began professionally recording in New York City as a sideman in the hot jazz era of the late 1920s. With the arrival of virtuoso trombonists Jack Teagarden and Tommy Dorsey, Miller focused more on developing his arrangement skills. Writing for contemporaries and future stars such as Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman, Miller gained prowess as an arranger by working in a variety of settings. Later, Miller largely improved his arranging and writing skills by studying under music theorist Joseph Schillinger.

In February 1937, Miller started an orchestra that briefly made records for Decca. With this group, Miller used an arrangement he wrote for British bandleader Ray Noble's American band in an attempt to form a clarinet-reed sound. This style developed over time, and eventually became known as the Glenn Miller sound. Frustrated with his agency over playing inconsistent bookings and lacking broad radio exposure, Miller gave the band notice in December 1937. Less than three months later, he was looking for members and forming a new band.

Miller began a partnership with Eli Oberstein, which led directly to a contract with Victor subsidiary Bluebird Records. Gaining fame at such engagements as the Paradise Restaurant and Frank Dailey–owned Meadowbrook and their corresponding nationwide broadcasts, Miller struck enormous popularity playing the Glen Island Casino in the summer of 1939. From late 1939 to mid-1942, Miller was the number-one band in the country, with few true rivals. Only Harry James' band began to equal Miller's in popularity as he wound down his career in the wake of the Second World War. The AFM strike prevented Miller from making any new recordings in the last two months of his band's existence, and they formally disbanded at the end of September 1942.

Miller's short-term chart successes have seldom been duplicated and his group's unprecedented dominance of early Your Hit Parade and Billboard singles charts resulted in 16 number-one singles and 69 Top Ten hits.

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1935 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 226-250 of 324 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-068460 10-in. 12/8/1941 Chip off the old block Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-068461 10-in. 12/8/1941 The story of a starry night Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-068789 10-in. 1/8/1942 Skylark Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-068790 10-in. 1/8/1942 When the roses bloom again Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-068791 10-in. 1/8/1942 Always in my heart Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-068833 10-in. 1/5/1942 The president's birthday ball Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-068834 10-in. 1/5/1942 Angels of mercy Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-068835 10-in. 1/8/1942 Dear Mom Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-068836 10-in. 1/5/1942 On the old assembly line Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-068837 10-in. 1/5/1942 Let's have another cup o' coffee Ernie Caceres ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-071190 10-in. 10/20/1941 Dreamsville, Ohio Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-071191 10-in. 10/20/1941 Papa Niccolini (The happy cobbler) Tex Beneke ; Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solos and mixed vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-071192 10-in. 10/20/1941 Jingle bells Tex Beneke ; Ernie Caceres ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solos and mixed vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-071193 10-in. 10/20/1941 This is no laughing matter Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-071860 10-in. 2/18/1942 Shhh, it's a military secret Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with female-male duet and mixed vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-071861 10-in. 2/18/1942 Don't sit under the apple tree (with anyone else but me) Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-071862 10-in. 2/18/1942 She'll always remember Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-071863 10-in. 2/18/1942 The lamplighter's serenade Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-071864 10-in. 2/18/1942 When Johnny comes marching home Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor PBS-072230 10-in. 4/2/1942 American patrol Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor PBS-072231 10-in. 4/2/1942 Soldier, let me read your letter Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; The Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor PBS-072232 10-in. 4/2/1942 Sleep song Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; The Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor PBS-072233 10-in. 4/2/1942 Sweet Eloise Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; The Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor PBS-072283 10-in. 5/20/1942 (I've got a gal in) Kalamazoo Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and male vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor PBS-072284 10-in. 5/20/1942 Serenade in blue Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Modernaires Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble Musical group  
(Results 226-250 of 324 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Glenn Miller Orchestra," accessed January 7, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106747.

Glenn Miller Orchestra. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106747.

"Glenn Miller Orchestra." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 7 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106747

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.