Glenn Miller made a huge impact on the American music scene in a short but critical time in U.S. history.
Founded in 1938, the Glenn Miller Orchestra had a string of hit records, played every popular theater, hotel and dance pavilion and was heard on every hot radio show of the day. But in 1942, it all came to a screeching halt. Miller disbanded the group and joined the Army just after the beginning of World War II.
FAQ
Glenn Miller Orchestra
WHEN — 2 p.m. Sunday
WHERE — Lyric Theatre in Harrison
COST — $25-$30
INFO — 870-391-3504 or thelyricharrison.org
He still made music. The Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band entertained troops in Europe for two years before Major Miller took off on Dec. 15, 1944, to fly to France. His plane disappeared over the English Channel, and he was officially declared dead a year later.
Today's Glenn Miller Orchestra, performing Sunday at the Lyric Theatre in Harrison, owes its existence to that legacy. Inspired by the movie "The Glenn Miller Story," released in 1954 starring Jimmy Stewart, a new Glenn Miller Orchestra was born in 1956, and it is still playing today, says music director Nick Hilscher.
"The band has not stopped since then," he says. "We take various breaks throughout the year, but we have been averaging 45 to 48 weeks of touring every year since 1956. We have this strong tradition that's been going on -- all the way back to 1938, I like to say.
"I'm leader No. 8 or 9 -- No. 9, as I think about it," Hilscher adds, explaining most musicians stay with the group "anywhere from a year to three years." He first joined the band as a featured vocalist in 1998, when he was 21 years old and finishing a degree in piano performance. After a solo career, he returned in 2012 as music director. He's also part of the singing duo the Moonlight Serenaders, making the average show about half instrumentals and half vocals.
With the perspective of nearly 20 years, Hilscher says he can see the Glenn Miller music moving from "the Greatest Generation" to audiences his age and younger -- "which is good news."
"We play everywhere from a coffee shop that will fit maybe 100 to 18,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl," he says. "And people are still whooping and hollering."
-- Becca Martin-Brown
NAN What's Up on 06/24/2016