Swing Era & American Big Band
Please note: If you are interested in donating materials to the AMRC, please email amrc@colorado.edu. Please note that material donations cannot come directly to the Center.
The Swing Era provided the sound track to the Great Depression and World War II, and in its music lie the stories of one of the defining periods of the United States. The AMRC's song sheets, recordings, memorabilia, photographs, and other documentary artifacts document every aspect of musical life in the era. Of particular interest in the Center's collections in this era are our extensive materials documenting the life and career of Colorado's own Major Alton Glenn Miller, who attended CU before launching his career with his famed, eponymous orchestra.
Scores and scripts of Perry Como, born Pierino Como (1912-2000), noted singer, recording artist, and television personality, including scripts, full scores, and instrumental parts from the Perry Como Show (1955-1963), TV specials, and recording projects; published sheet music; photographs; recordings; and memorabilia.
The Gordon Dooley Dance Orchestra Music includes the complete scores and parts for the arrangements used by The Gordon Dooley Orchestra. The parts, stored by arrangement in book order, include 182 titles, primarily from the swing/big band era and constitute Dooley's complete society band arrangements for varying instrumentation, from nine to sixteen parts comprised of 4-5 saxophones, 1-4 trumpets, 1-4 trombones and 2-4 rhythm section players. Also included are some ephemera and published documents related to Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, as well as photos and other memorabilia collected by Dooley throughout his career.
Glenn Miller Collections
The Glenn Miller Collections represents a nearly 50-year attempt to document the story of Glenn Miller. In 1969 the late C. F. Alan Cass, a longtime CU employee and Glenn Miller expert, issued a call for artifacts to help commemorate Miller upon the establishment of the Glenn Miller Ballroom in the University Memorial Center. The artifacts never stopped coming in, and the Glenn Miller Archives was established. Quickly growing out of the closet space initially designated to hold the material, the Glenn Miller Collections now comprise over 1000 linear feet of personal artifacts, professional papers, photographs, recordings, and other materials, some of which were donated by the Miller family, others by fans and collectors worldwide.
Many of the most significant Glenn Miller artifacts are on permanent display at the CU Heritage Center, on the third floor of . The Heritage Center displays numerous gold records (including the 1941 Gold Record for Chattanooga Choo Choo, the first gold record ever awarded), one of Glenn Miller's trombones, an autograph manuscript to Miller's theme song, "Moonlight Serenade," and other items.
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Highlights of the Glenn Miller Collections include:
Audio tapes, disc recordings, photographs, and papers collected by Ed Burke of Miami, Florida; record producer; owner of Fanfare, Jazz Hour, and Soundcraft recording labels; documenting radio music performances in the United States, 1930-1960, and including radio performances by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and other important performers from the Swing Era. Recordings contain entire radio broadcasts, many of which were transferred from transcription discs.
Recordings and supporting materials of John (1929-1991), composer, jazz clarinetist, band leader; M. Mus, University of Colorado (1956); Down Beat Magazine Jazz Hall of Fame.
Swing era and big band materials collected by C. F. Alan Cass (1941-2018); BA, University of Colorado (1963); L.H.D honoris causa, University of Colorado (1999); Director, Macky Auditorium (1967-1979); Assistant director, University Memorial Center (1979-1984); Director, Coors Events Center (1984-1998); Curator, Glenn Miller Archives (1969-2016). Contains artifacts, photos, memorabilia, recordings, and papers related to the life and career of Major Alton Glenn Miller, acquired for the Glenn Miller Archives from multiple sources and unnamed donors over nearly 50 years.
Collection contains Glenn Miller scrapbooks, recordings and other memorabilia collected by Ms. Feroce in the 1940s.
Disc recordings collected by Glenn Miller fan and collector, Mike Ford, of Boulder, Colorado
The Richard D. Hershcopf disk recordings comprise of 209 78rpm disk recordings featuring Benny Goodman and other big band musicians. They are organized alphabetically by the band name or artist's first name.
Papers collected by Deane Miller (1901-1971), trumpeter and brother to Major Alton Glenn Miller, including Miller family articles and photographs, and Deane Miller's autobiography.
Memorabilia collected by Walter and Virginia newton, New York City "shag" dance champions (1939-1940), containing the Newton's original scrapbook of their "Shag" dance championship, 1939-1940, and photographs.
Materials collected by George T. Simon, Musician, music critic for Metronome (1935-1955), record producer, and author of Glenn Miller and His Orchestra; containing correspondence to and from Glenn Miller and family and friends; articles by Simon on Glenn Miller; proofs of Simon's book Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, photographs; correspondence and reviews about his book.
Recordings, sheet music, and correspondence collected by William M. Soulé (1927-), collector, including books, video tapes, CDs, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes, vinyl recordings, sheet music, photographs, and letters, about Glenn Miller and Big Bands; and an unpublished manuscript and memorabilia about the vocal group, The Modernaires.
Recordings, artifacts, and memorabilia collected by Paul Ora Warren "Lightnin'" Tanner (1917-2013), trombonist, electro-thereminist, inventor; PhD, University of California, Los Angeles (1975); developer of the electro-theremin; member, Glenn Miller Orchestra (1938-1942).
Materials collected by Irene Miller Wolfe, sister to Major Alton Glenn Miller, including personal correspondence, memorabilia pertaining to Glenn Miller and his orchestra, memorabilia pertaining to Herb Miller and his orchestra, and family photographs.