Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Special Treat – Hartson Dowd

June 10, 2006

THE GLENN MILLER FESTIVAL

The music of Glenn Miller is timeless; one hundred years from now, bands will still be playing “In the Mood.”

Big band music is a true American art form, so I wasn’t surprised when I learned that the largest big band music festival in the world takes place every year deep within America’s heartland.  The little town of Clarinda, in the southwest corner of Iowa, has been recognized as one of the best towns in America.  During one weekend every June, this town is one of the best places for people who love bug band music---specifically the music of the great Glenn Miller, one of Clarinda’s favorite sons.

Miller, who led one of the most loved and respected bands of the late 1920s and early 1940s, stood out from the crowd of popular big bands.  He created his own unique swing sounds with arrangements that relied on intricate interplay between clarinets, saxophones, and vocals and featured some of the best improvising soloists in the business. America and the world fell in love with what became known as “the Miller sound.”

On the second weekend in June, visitors and entertainers from around the world will converge in Clarinda, Iowa to celebrate the music and memory of Alton Glenn Miller, American bandleader, composer and arranger who disappeared in a plane mishap over the English Channel on December 15, 1944, while directing the Glenn Miller AAF Band during World War II.

Name: Alton Glenn Miller                                                                                                      Born: March 1, 1904 in Clarinda, Iowa                                                                             Married: Helen Burger                                                                                             Accomplishments: 1937: wrote “Moonlight Serenade”; 1939-1941: Glen Miller Band was the number one band in the United States; 1942: formed the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band.                                                                                                                         Hit Recordings: “Little Brown Jug,” “In the Mood,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Tuxedo Junction,” “Moonlight Serenade.”    

All Events in Clarinda, Iowa

Enjoy tours of Glenn Miller's birthplace home, stage shows,
picnics, dances, and historical displays.

GREAT FUN FOR EVERYONE!

For information contact the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society
P.O. Box 61, Clarinda, IA, 51632

Phone/Fax: 712-542-2461 or E-Mail Us

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Hartson Dowd

hsdowd@telus.net