Category: Music

Glenn Miller’s Disappearance

Glenn MillerOn December 15, 1944, trombonist and bandleader Glenn Miller got on a single-engine aircraft near London to fly to France. Somewhere over the English Channel, though, the plane went down and was never recovered. Miller was 40 years old.

Miller had left behind his successful career in 1942 to join the United States Air Force during World War II. After basic training, he formed the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band, playing for troops to boost morale. He took the flight in 1944 to play for soldiers who had helped liberate France. Some attribute bad weather to the plane crash, while others have argued that bombs jettisoned from Allied planes may have accidentally hit Miller’s plane.

Miller had a number of popular swing hits that established a special sound for the Glenn Miller Orchestra. But when most people think of Glenn Miller, the first tunes that comes up are “Moonlight Serenade” and “In the Mood” (which also played an important role in a book recently reviewed here, Stephen King’s 11/22/63.) So, while we remember the great loss to popular music on this date, we also remember the great joy (and service) Miller gave us.

Photo via public domain.

What is your favorite Glenn Miller performance? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Stephen King’s 11/22/63 (Short Review)

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    All-Star “Fairytale of New York” on Jimmy Fallon

    fairytale new york hansard fallon
    On a recent Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Sam Beam from Iron & Wine joined Calexico for a rousing version of The Pogues holiday classic, “Fairytale of New York” (a song discussed in a previous Chimesfreedom post about depressing holiday songs). As if that were not enough, Glen Hansard and Kathleen Edwards joined in the fun too. Check it out. [February 2014 Update: The video is no longer available from NBC, so below is an amateur video of the same group performing the song at the WWFUV Holiday Cheer Concert.]

    Iron & Wine, Calexico, Kathleen Edwards, and Glen Hansard recently played together, including a performance of “Fairytale of New York,” at a Holiday Cheer benefit concert in New York.

    What is your favorite “sad” holiday song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • The Story Behind “The Fairytale of New York”
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  • Late Night Wars: Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon Sing

    • (Some related chimesfreedom posts.)

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    Otis Redding’s Tragic Plane Crash in Wisconsin

    Dock of the Bay On December 10, 1967, an airplane crashed into Lake Monona, not far from the Madison, Wisconsin airport. On board the plane were Otis Redding and his backing band for the tour, The Bar-Kays band.

    Trumpeter Ben Cauley became the sole survivor of the crash. The twin-engine Beechcraft owned by Redding had taken off in rain and heavy fog, but investigators never determined a cause of the crash. Today, there is a memorial at the crash site.

    Otis Redding is one of the few artists where I cannot fathom anyone not loving his music. While I may disagree with some folks on music taste, I can still understand why someone may not like the music of Bob Dylan or Elvis Presley. But I believe everyone should love Redding, as he captures the joy, pain, and soul of life.

    If I crank up my iPod through the stereo while guests are visiting and I am not sure of their taste in music, I usually play my Redding albums. There is not much music everyone agrees on nowadays, but Redding is unique.

    He belongs in that rare camp of people who are both great singers and great songwriters. Redding showed great promise at a young age as a songwriter, having written or co-written such songs as “Respect” and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.”

    Otis Redding was only 26-years-old when he died, so we can only imagine what he would have accomplished had he lived to old age. Only four months after his death, the last song he recorded — “(Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay” — became his first number one song. The song, written by Redding and Steve Cropper, revealed Redding exploring new musical directions.

    Below is a live performance of another favorite of mine, “Try a Little Tenderness.” This video includes part of a 1967 European performance from not long before the plane crash that killed Redding, who was reportedly a good man too. RIP.

    What is your favorite Otis Redding song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Writing “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”
  • Otis Redding: Soul Manifesto (Short Review)
  • The 1966 Otis Redding TV Special
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  • Spotlight On the Four Magnificent Artists Behind “Sweet Soul Music”
  • You Only Are What You Believe: 1967 Anti-War Protest and the Year’s Music

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    Bob Dylan Live at Royal Albert Hall, 28 November 2013

    Bob Dylan recently performed in London at the famous Royal Albert Hall for three nights on November 26-28, 2013. Below is a stream of his concert on the last night, beginning with “Things Have Changed” and running through such classics as “She Belongs to Me” and “Tangled Up in Blue” before closing with “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Check it out.

    What is your favorite Bob Dylan concert? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Nelson Mandela, Sun City, and Changing Times

    With Nelson Mandela‘s passing, the world mourns the loss of an amazing man. It is hard to comprehend the changes that Mandela helped make in his lifetime. Back in 1985, while Mandela sat in prison and Artists Against Apartheid released the song “Sun City,” one could not have imagined that within a decade Mandela would be president of South Africa. RIP.

    Aritsts Against Apartheid was founded by Steven Van Zandt (aka Miami Steve, aka Little Steven) and record producer Arthur Baker. Sun City was a resort in South Africa, and the song called on artists to refuse to play there until apartheid ended. The song and video features such artists as Run DMC, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Hall & Oates, Herbie Hancock, and Ringo Starr.

    Only five years after the song’s release, Steven Van Zandt would appear on stage with Simple Minds, Chrissie Hynde, Lou Reed, and others, to sing “Sun City” at a tribute concert for Nelson Mandela at Wembley stadium. They were celebrating Mandela’s release from prison in early 1990.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Little Steven and Bruce Springsteen: “It’s Been a Long Time”
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