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: 1937 - 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 1-25 of 312 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-027410 10-in. 9/27/1938 My reverie Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-027411 10-in. 9/27/1938 By the waters of Minnetonka (Indian love song) Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-027412 10-in. 9/27/1938 By the waters of Minnetonka (Indian love song) Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-027413 10-in. 9/27/1938 King Porter stomp Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-033607 10-in. 2/6/1939 (Gotta get some) Shut-eye Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-033608 10-in. 2/6/1939 How I'd like to be with you in Bermuda Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-033609 10-in. 2/6/1939 Cuckoo in the clock Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-033610 10-in. 2/6/1939 Romance runs in the family Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-035399 10-in. 4/4/1939 The chestnut tree ('Neath the spreading chestnut tree) Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-035700 10-in. 4/4/1939 And the angels sing Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-035701 10-in. 4/4/1939 Moonlight serenade Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-035702 10-in. 4/4/1939 The lady's in love with you Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-035729 10-in. 4/10/1939 Wishing (Will make it so) Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-035730 10-in. 4/10/1939 Three little fishies (Itty bitty poo) Tex Beneke ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet and vocal ensemble Musical group  
Victor BS-035731 10-in. 4/10/1939 Sunrise serenade Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-035732 10-in. 4/10/1939 Little brown jug Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-035764 10-in. 4/18/1939 My last goodbye Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-035765 10-in. 4/18/1939 But it didn't mean a thing Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Marion Hutton Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-035766 10-in. 4/18/1939 Pavanne Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-035767 10-in. 4/18/1939 Runnin' wild Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band Musical group  
Victor BS-036877 10-in. 5/9/1939 To you Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-036878 10-in. 5/9/1939 Stairway to the stars Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-037152 10-in. 5/25/1939 Blue evening Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-037153 10-in. 5/25/1939 The lamp is low Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
Victor BS-037154 10-in. 5/25/1939 Rendezvous time in Paree Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo Musical group  
(Results 1-25 of 312 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Glenn Miller Orchestra," accessed December 23, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106747.

Glenn Miller Orchestra. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 23, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/106747.

"Glenn Miller Orchestra." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 23 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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