Glenn Miller was born on a farm in Clarinda, IA, and moved with his family a lot until graduating from high school in Fort Morgan, CO. He formed his first band during his senior year in high school. He began as a student at the University of Colorado and dropped out to concentrate on a career in music. Soon thereafter, he composed what was to become his theme song, “Moonlight Serenade.” Miller formed his first band, as a professional, in 1937, but broke up soon thereafter.

In New York, the following year, he started another band, which was successful. At the peak of his career, in 1942, he decided to join the military. He was accepted into the Army, and then moved to the Army Air Force. He did promotional work for the military as well as work at the Southeast Training Center at Maxwell Field, AL. On December 15, 1944, he was to fly from the United Kingdom to Paris to play for the soldiers, who had just liberated the nation’s capital. The plane he was in disappeared flying over the English Channel, with no trace of crew, passengers, or plane.