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 301-324 of 324 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick B21234 10-in. 6/9/1937 I got rhythm Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick B21235 10-in. 6/9/1937 Sleepy time gal Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick B21236 10-in. 6/9/1937 Community swing Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick B21240 10-in. 6/9/1937 Time on my hands (You in my arms) Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick B22079 10-in. 11/29/1937 My fine feathered friend Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Kathleen Lane Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Brunswick B22080 10-in. 11/29/1937 Humoresque Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Brunswick B22081 10-in. 11/29/1937 Doin' the jive Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal ensemble Musical group  
Brunswick B22082 10-in. 11/29/1937 Silhouetted in the Moonlight Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Kathleen Lane Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Brunswick B22135 10-in. 12/13/1937 Eevery day's a holiday Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Kathleen Lane Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Brunswick B22136 10-in. 12/13/1937 Sweet stranger Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Kathleen Lane Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Brunswick B22972 10-in. 5/23/1938 Don't wake up my heart Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Brunswick B22973 10-in. 5/23/1938 Why'd ya make me fall in love Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Gail Reese Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Brunswick B22974 10-in. 5/23/1938 Sold American Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal chorus Musical group  
Brunswick B22975 10-in. 5/23/1938 Dipper mouth blues Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with vocal chorus Musical group  
Decca 62058 10-in. 3/22/1937 Peg o' my heart Glenn Miller Orchestra Musical group  
Decca 62059 10-in. 3/22/1937 Wistful and blue Glenn Miller Orchestra Musical group  
Decca 62060 10-in. 3/22/1937 How am I to know? Glenn Miller Orchestra Musical group  
Decca 62061 10-in. 3/22/1937 Anytime, anyday, anywhere Glenn Miller Orchestra Musical group  
Decca 62062 10-in. 3/22/1937 Moonlight Bay Glenn Miller Orchestra Musical group  
Decca 62063 10-in. 3/22/1937 I'm sittin' on top of the world Glenn Miller Orchestra Musical group  
ARC 17379 10-in. 4/25/1935 A blues serenade Smith Ballew ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
ARC 17380 10-in. 4/25/1935 Moonlight on the Ganges Smith Ballew ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
ARC 17381 10-in. 4/25/1935 In a little Spanish town Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
ARC 17382 10-in. 4/25/1935 Solo hop Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
(Results 301-324 of 324 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Glenn Miller Orchestra," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106747.

Glenn Miller Orchestra. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106747.

"Glenn Miller Orchestra." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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