Glenn Miller

GLENN MILLER
I was listening to the local TV-Community channel last night - while cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. My ears perked up when I heard this beautiful melody - Glenn Miller’s orchestra playing his theme song - “Moonlight Serenade” - one of my favorite tunes. Glenn would sign off his radio broadcasts with this song.
Glenn Miller and I go back a long ways - to 1937 - 70 years! While he was a few years older, we still had something in common. He could play very pleasing music, while I could appreciate the same music talent.
Talk about nostalgia! My thoughts went back to that era in a flash. I could visualize driving my 1931 Ford Model A coupe, near my parents home at 715 Oak Street, in Ypsilanti. On my car radio was Glenn Miller and his orchestra playing from Glenn Island Casino in New York. I would do this quite often. After supper on a warm summer evening I would just ride around town listening to the music on my car radio. I had the radio installed after I bought the car, second-hand, for $165.
Your first thought is, probably, what a waste of gas! Back then, gasoline was only $.18 a gallon.(I ,also, got good mileage from the small four-cylinder engine). Compared to the $3.35 a gallon, at our neighborhood gas station, it was cheap, but it is all relative. At the same time, I was only earning $.25 an hour. I was assembling Kadette radios and Argus cameras in Ann Arbor. (My Ypsilanti friend, Jim Leslie, still has a beautiful C-3 camera from that vintage.) So, I had to work about 43 minutes to pay for a gallon of gas. Today, assuming a wage of $10.00 an hour, I would have to work only 20 minutes to buy a gallon! Conclusion:- Things aren’t always what they appear to be.

To Bill

You are very intuitive! I used to drink scotch and soda's, but with my congestive heart failure meds, I don't want to mix the two.

I really do like music - primarily from the 30's and 40's. It's in my genes (speaking of genealogy!), I guess. My Dad was one of nine kids. They all played a musical instrument - some of them played two! My Dad played the e-flat alto horn, and the violin. He played the horn in community bands. He had his own dance group, and played the fiddle in that. They played at the local lakes in Michigan, for square dances.

I used his horn when I played in my Berea high school band.

(For much more musical detail, ask Melissa to forward a copy of "Music Appreciation" - page 25 in my book.)