Alton Glenn Miller (1904-1944) was perhaps the most popular big-band musician of his time. A trombonist from an early age, Miller got on with such outfits as Nat Shilkret’s All-Star Orchestra and The Dorsey Brothers. In 1938, he founded his own band in New York and developed a distinctive sound, landing a record deal that year with Bluebird Records. Regular appearances on radio shows and films gave him additional exposure. When America entered World War II, he joined the war effort and founded a large marching band with the U.S. Army, determined to modernize the military’s music. In 1944, his airplane disappeared over the English Channel on a flight to Paris.