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100 years ago the most popular band leader the world has ever known was born, Alton
Glenn Miller. It is said that the only reason Glenn Miller is so popular today, over other great band leaders of
the Big Band era, was because of his tragic disappearance on the 15th December 1944. Is that what you think?....
or could it be the simple fact that the Glenn Miller sound was so unique , that it simply appealed to music lovers
world wide then in the thirties and forties, right up to the present day. There have been numerous copy bands and
tribute concerts by just about every band around all playing Glenns music, 55 years after his death. The officially
lead Miller bands of Tex Beneke, Ray McKindly, Buddy Defranco, Peanuts Hucko, Buddy Morrow, Jimmy Henderson and
Larry Obrien and the copy bands of Ray Anthony, Ralph Flanagan and Jerry Gray, none of these bands, although excellent
and some great bands among them, have been able to recreate the true Miller sound.
Only one band that was formed 33 years ago and started because its leader so loved the Glenn Miller sound, that
he thought he would start his own part time band, playing the type of music he loved, as he was unable to do this
in his regular work as a cornet player in The Northern Dance Orchestra. His name was Syd Lawrence. His band is
still touring today and playing Glenn Miller music even though sadly, Syd passed away in May 98 at the age of 74.
Today the Syd Lawrence orchestra is still pulling in the crowds led by Chris Dean and the music that comes from
those instruments is true Miller, the only band that has been able to recreate Glenn Music so accurately that it
is almost impossible to tell the difference.
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