page_title: Glenn Miller
section_title: Army Air Force Band: 1942–1944
hierarchical_section_title: Glenn Miller / Army Air Force Band: 1942–1944
caption_attribution_description: Bronze bust of Glenn Miller in an alcove on the front of the Corn Exchange in Bedford, England, where he once performed. There is a plaque beneath.
context_page_description: Alton Glenn Miller was an American big band musician, arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known big bands. Miller's notable recordings include "In the Mood", "Moonlight Serenade", "Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "A String of Pearls", "At Last", " Kalamazoo", "American Patrol", "Tuxedo Junction", "Elmer's Tune", and "Little Brown Jug". During World War II, he led bands in the U.S. Army. While he was traveling in France during World War II, Glenn Miller's airplane disappeared over the English Channel.
context_section_description: In 1942, Miller decided to join the war effort because he was too old to be drafted. At first, he volunteered for the Navy but was told he was not needed. Miller then wrote to Army Brigadier General Charles Young. He asked to lead an army band so he could entertain the Allied Forces, and was accepted this time. He earned the rank of captain and he was soon promoted to major by August 1944.
  He was placed in the United States Army at first, but was then moved to the Army Air Forces. Captain Glenn Miller served as an officer at the training center at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1942. He played trombone with the Rhythmaires, a 15-piece dance band, both on the base and in the town.
  Miller formed a large marching band. He tried to modernize military music. Some officers didn't like it, but he continued because other leaders supported him. For example, he combined blues and jazz with the traditional military march. He formed the Army Air Force Band, with 50 members. In the summer of 1944, he took it to England, where he gave 800 performances and recorded a series of records. The music was used in American Forces Network radio broadcasting for entertainment and counter-propaganda against fascism. Miller also talked on the radio. One time, he said:
  "America means freedom and there's no expression of freedom quite so sincere as music."
caption: Bust outside the Corn Exchange in Bedford, where Miller played in World War II.
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