GMA Links
KEZW, Studio 1430, Denver
The Entercom Communications station is America’s Number One Adult Standards station (source: Arbitron) and home of the weekly “GMA Presents” radio program “The Star Spangled Radio Hour,” which is broadcast from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. MST/MDT (GMT-7/-6) every Saturday. The title of the program is a tribute to the Armed Forces Radio Service, the American Forces Network and the Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme of the BBC, and is inspired by the book “Star Spangled Radio” by Col. Ed Kirby and Maj. Jack Harris. The ”Star Spangled Radio Hour” is hosted by Rick Crandall, Program Manager of KEZW and produced by Dennis M. Spragg of the GMA, who joins Rick every week to describe the original programs.
Our popular weekly “GMA Presents” series highlights complete and rare Glenn Miller, big band and variety broadcasts that were originally aired over the commercial radio networks and the Armed Forces services. Many of the programs have not been heard since they first aired and all are in generally excellent audio condition, reflecting the quality and scope of the GMA Collections. Many of the famous celebrities and popular musicians of the 20th Century appear on our weekly programs.
In addition to our regularly scheduled programs, the “GMA Presents” series has included frequent specials over KEZW, including “New Year’s Eve With Glenn Miller,” “The Big Bands Go To War,” “4th of July with Glenn Miller” and “Glenn Miller in Europe.” The GMA team also regularly appear on the Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. MST/MDT (GMT-7/-6) “Breakfast Club” with host Rick Crandall. The “Breakfast Club” has been broadcast live from the CU Heritage Center and has featured special guests and celebrities along with the GMA team.
The GMA also partners with KEZW and Entercom Communications with authorized and licensed iPod and compact disc releases such as the current 100 tune “Sing and Swing, Vol. 1.” A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of “Sing and Swing, vol. 1″ are donated by Entercom Communications to the GMA. Details about “Sing and Swing vol. 1″ can be found at the KEZW web site.
KEZW Studio 1430 is located at www.kezw.com or www.studio1430.com.
Here is a summary of “Star Spangled Radio Hour” broadcasts that we have aired through Program 142, February 23, 2013.
Host Rick Crandall, CU heritage donor Henry Holloway and Dennis M. Spragg of the GMA and AMRC, at KEZW, June, 2009
Live Broadcast, CU Heritage Center, November 2009 (L-R) Rick Crandall, Dennis M. Spragg, Steven D. Miller
The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society and Museum
Every June, the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society holds their annual Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda, Iowa, where visitors and entertainers from around the world celebrate the music and memory of Glenn Miller. The 38th annual festival will be held June 13-16, 2013, in Clarinda.
Among their other notable activities, the GMBS sponsors music scholarship programs in conjunction with the Miller family, other private and corporate participants.
In 2010, the GMBS opened the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum, which is a living and handsome tribute to Glenn Miller. The museum contains numerous informative exhibits describing the life and career of Glenn Miller. The museum is located adjacent to the home in which Glenn Miller was born on March 1, 1904. The home was purchased by the Miller family to be maintained by the Glenn Miller Birthplace Foundation and the GMBS.,
The GMA and curator Alan Cass are an annual participant with our sister organization at their festival. Exhibits from the GMA Collections in Boulder are displayed for the public and GMA staff is available for questions and discussions regarding the life and career of Glenn Miller. The GMA is very pleased to have been associated with the GMBS for many decades and is a major supporter of their efforts. Many people in Southwest Iowa contribute their time and energy toward the GMBS, in particular, Chairman Marvin Negley and Director Dwight Sump.
The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society home page is www.glennmiller.org
Statue of Glenn Miller in Birthplace Museum Lobby
The birthplace of Glenn Miller, Clarinda, Iowa
The Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum
The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society, Japan Branch
The GMBS has for many years enjoyed a close relationship with the people of Japan. The sister city of Clarinda is Tamana, Japan. The sister school of Clarinda High School is Tamana GHS. The GMBS Japan Branch Festival Committee plans semi-annual visits of the Tamana GHS Band to the GMBS Festival in Iowa. The GMBS Museum in Clarinda was made possible in part by the generosity and support of Mr. Hideomi Aoki and other interested Glenn Miller supporters in Japan. The Japanese connection is a very important aspect of the GMBS.
Tamana GHS Band at the Glenn Miller birthplace, 2010. Hideomi Aoki is in the front row wearing the baseball cap.
The GMBS Japan Branch website link is:
http://www.glennmiller.org/japan.htm
The Twinwood Farm Glenn Miller Museum
The site of the former RAF Twinwood Farm, Clapham, Bedfordshire, England, is maintained by the Wooding family as an accurately restored replica of what the site looked like in 1944-45. The facility houses the Twinwood Glenn Miller Museum in the control tower building. The control tower is kept to display operations as of December 15, 1944. Also maintained in a precise manner are the Administration Building and other former airfield facilities. The museum was assembled with the assistance of the late Wing Commander H. E. Tappin, who commanded the airfield, and Christopher Way, author, historian and GMA donor.
Every August, Twinwood Events holds their annual Twinwood Festival, to which entertainers and the public gather for a weekend of music, presentations, recreations and camaraderie. The annual Twinwood festival will be held August 24-26, 2013.
The Twinwood Events web site is: www.twinwoodevents.com; the festival web site is: www.twinwoodfestival.com
Christopher Way and the Twinwood Farm Control Tower
The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra
The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra is enthusiastically and ably led by Nick Hilscher and owned by Glenn Miller Productions, Lake Mary, Florida. The band is a living testimonial to Glenn Miller and maintains his level of professionalism and presentation. Nick and the GMO are perhaps the busiest and most traveled touring big band in the world, playing an average of 300 live dates per year, including the annual Glenn Miller Birthplace Festival in Clarinda, Iowa. The GMO has been entertaining audiences since being formed in 1956 under the direction of Ray McKinley. GMA donor, advisor and honoree Larry O’Brien retired as leader of the GMO in December 2010. The GMA and Glenn Miller Productions work together to promote and preserve the legacy of Glenn Miller and the big bands. Glenn Miller Productions is managed by Charles DeStefano.
Nick Hilscher
The GMO web site is: www.glennmillerorchestra.com
There are also Glenn Miller Orchestras authorized and licensed by Glenn Miller Productions outside the USA in the following countries:
Glenn Miller Orchestra (Europe) with Wil Salden
Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus
http://www.glenn-miller-orchestra.de/t3/index.php
Glenn Miller Orchestra (UK) with Ray McVay
England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Spain, Portugal
http://www.glennmillerorchestra.co.uk/
Glenn Miller Orchestra (Scandinavia) with Jan Slottenas
Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Denmark
http://www.glennmillerorchestra.se/
Farewell Performance, Larry O'Brien and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, December 2010, Chandler, Arizona
