Herb Miller
27th February 1913 - 30th September 1987
Born in North Platte, Nebraska, - to Lewis Elmer and Mattie Lou Miller and the third of four children - his siblings were Dean, Glenn (the future famous bandleader) and Irene. He attained a Bachelor of Arts and teaching degree at the University of Colorado, taught music in Manzanola, Colorado, for two years, and taught for another two years in Johnstown, Colorado.
There he met and married Annebelle Lee Hudson, (later to become Herb's band manager, accountant, librarian, child minder, chief cook and bottle washer, and the rock from which he could function at such a high level). She was in her first year of teaching, and studied music at the University of Michigan with a subsidy from Herb's brother, Glenn.
Herb played in local bands and also established his own band to help support his growing family.
Herb left Michigan just three units shy of his Master's Degree, and took his own band on the road. He toured extensively in the U.S., playing for the grand opening of the new Aragon Ballroom in Los Angeles along the way. His career was temporarily cut short when he - along with half the band - were drafted up. It is reported that Herb would get sea-sick "just looking at a glass of water", so he opened the envelope to join the Army to avoid the Navy. The Army promptly put him in amphibious tanks and Herb finally ended up in the 59th Army Band at Fort Ord near Monterey, California. There was always a hint that Glenn might have had some influence on the transfer.
Upon his discharge, he settled down to raise his family in nearby Pacific Grove, where he became a well-liked music teacher, working with primary school students from year 1 to year 6.
The school bands Herb created - with pupils he had often tutored from their first notes on their instruments - were much respected in statewide competitions, consistently placing in the top 10% of all bands in the state, which included high school bands with players up to 18 years old.
While teaching in Pacific Grove, Herb led the Monterey Civic Band, played in several other concert bands in the area, and started a young people's dance band. That musical group gradually morphed into a working dance band composed mostly of the heads of music departments from various surrounding schools, plus a few former students and Herb's own children.
Known as the Herb Miller Orchestra, the band worked all over California at military bases, hotels and country clubs. Herb cut his first record in 1958: "First Steps of a New Miller", at a Capitol Records studio in Los Angeles, CA.
Meanwhile Herb designed, drew plans for and built his own seven-bedroom house designed specifically for rehearsing a big band. Before rehearsals there, Herb's son, John carried all the furniture to the patio. The five saxophone players sat in the living room with the baby grand piano, the drums and bass were under an arch, and the brass section were in the dining room.
Since the house was just two blocks from the beach in a semi-rural spot, it wasn't unusual to have fifteen or twenty couples stop their cars and dance in the street for three hours during Thursday night's rehearsals.
Although Herb always had a band of his own, he did spend just over a year playing lead trumpet with the Charlie Spivak band in the early 1940s.
Herb wanted to work with older students, but a high school music teaching job he hoped for never materialised. He became despondent but he had managed to accrue twenty years in the California school system to qualify for a pension. Nevertheless, hard times followed.
In 1971, Herb "ran away" to the circus, where he could play all day long, seven days a week. It was a great and much appreciated gift from the owner (name unknown) of that small circus. Herb was in such poor physical shape during the first year that he hardly earned the minimal pay he was given. However, the circus owner continued to support him, and it gave Herb an opportunity for a fresh start and a chance to do what he loved best - play his trumpet.
Herb later noted that Harry James had played in a circus band, and if it was good enough for Harry, it was good enough for him. Herb eventually ended up running his own show as he became the leader, musical director and lead trumpet for the American Continental Circus Band.
Herb recounted later: "For a brass man, the circus is a hard slog. Everything is high, hot and fast. It will either make a man of you or kill you." Herb lived to play. It was the only thing in life that really mattered.
In the winter of 1979 - off-season for the circus - Herb did some guest spots with a big band in Great Britain. Someone saw one of Herb's British performances and thought it would be a good idea for Herb to form his own band there.
When Herb returned to the USA, he found a message waiting for him from the mysterious English backer. Three days later, Herb was back in England knocking on the fellow's door “before he could change his mind.”
After a final 1980 season with the circus, Herb - accompanied by his son, John Miller - relocated to the British Isles. The new Herb Miller Orchestra played its first engagement in 1981 at The Dome in Brighton, and has played every major and most of the minor theatres in the British Isles as well as in Spain, Malta, France, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Dubai and China.
Herb Miller passed on the 30th September, 1987, from a stroke in King's College Hospital, London, England, just days before a 28-day tour of Norway, Denmark and Sweden.