Glenn Gray Knoblauch (June 7, 1900 – August 23, 1963), known professionally as Glen Gray, was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist and leader of the

Casa Loma Orchestra The Casa Loma Orchestra was an American dance band active from 1929 to 1963. Until the rapid multiplication in the number of swing bands from 1935 on, the Casa Loma Orchestra was one of the top North American dance bands. With the decline of the ...

.''

The Mississippi Rag Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scot ...

'', "Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra," George A. Borgman, October 2006, page 1

Early years

Gray was born to Lurdie P. and Agnes (Gray) Knoblauch in

Roanoke, Illinois Roanoke is a village in Roanoke Township, Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Early settlement Until about 1850, mu ...

, United States. His father was a saloon keeper and

railroad worker Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...

who died when Glen was two years of age. He had an older sister. His widowed mother married George H. DeWilde, a coal miner, and moved her family to Roanoke. Gray graduated from Roanoke High School, in 1917 where he played basketball and acquired his nickname, "Spike".

Career

Gray attended the

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservat ...

in 1921 but left during his first year to go to Peoria, Illinois, to play with George Haschert's orchestra. From 1924 to 1929, he played with several orchestras in Detroit, Michigan. Gray served as leader of the

although the orchestra itself had been formed as a collective group, with no designated leader. Their mid-1930s appearances on the long-run radio comedy-variety program, the ''

Camel Caravan A camel train, caravan, or camel string is a series of camels carrying passengers and goods on a regular or semi-regular service between points. Despite rarely travelling faster than human walking speed, for centuries camels' ability to withst ...

'', (introduced with their theme, "Smoke Rings") increased their popularity. Gray chose not to conduct the band in the early years, playing in the saxophone section while violinist Mel Jenssen acted as conductor. In 1937, the band overwhelmingly voted in favor of Glen leading the orchestra, and Gray finally accepted the job. By the mid-1940s, Gray would come to own the band and the Casa Loma name. For a time, during this period, the band featured guitarist

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010) was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, Ellis grew up on a farm. He was first exposed ...

, trumpeter

Bobby Hackett Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was a versatile American jazz musician who played swing music, Dixieland jazz and mood music, now called easy listening, on trumpet, cornet, and guitar. He played Swing with the bands ...

, pianist Nick Denucci and cornetist

Red Nichols Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965) was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader. He was one of the most prolific and influential jazz musicians in the late 1920s and early 1930s, appearing on over 4,000 ...

. By 1950, the Casa Loma band had ceased touring, and Gray retired to Massachusetts. The later recordings on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

(beginning with ''Casa Loma in Hi-Fi'' in 1956 and continuing through the Sounds of the Great Bands series) were done with Gray leading a group of studio musicians in Hollywood (although several of Gray's "alumni" occasionally featured). In all, some 14 high-fidelity and stereo recordings were made for Capitol under the name of Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra before Gray's death in 1963.

Major recordings

Notable successes since Gray became leader in 1937 included:
Never in a Million Years (vocal by

Kenny Sargent Laurel Kenneth Sargent (March 3, 1906 – December 20, 1969)

) (1937)

You Go to My Head "You Go to My Head" is a 1938 popular song composed by J. Fred Coots with lyrics by Haven Gillespie. Many versions of the song have been recorded, and it has since become a pop and jazz standard. Melody and lyrics Alec Wilder terms Coots' melod ...

(vocal by Kenny Sargent) (1938)

I Cried for You "I Cried for You" is a pop and jazz standard with music written by Gus Arnheim and Abe Lyman, with lyrics by Arthur Freed. It was introduced by Abe Lyman and His Orchestra in 1923. The recording by Benny Krueger and His Orchestra the same year ...

(vocal by Kenny Sargent) (1939)
This Night (Will Be My Souvenir) (vocal Clyde Burke) (1939)
Heaven Can Wait (vocal Clyde Burke) (1939)

Sunrise Serenade "Sunrise Serenade" is a jazz song written by Frankie Carle with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. It was first recorded in 1939 by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra with Carle on piano as Decca 2321. It soon became Carle's signature piece. Glenn Miller ...

(

Frankie Carle Frankie Carle (born Francis Nunzio Carlone, March 25, 1903 – March 7, 2001) was an American pianist and bandleader. As a very popular bandleader in the 1940s and 1950s, Carle was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Keyboard" for his piano skills. " Su ...

on piano) (1939)
Tears from My Inkwell (vocal by Kenny Sargent) (1939)
A Lover's Lullaby (vocal by Kenny Sargent) (1940)
No Name Jive (vocal by Kenny Sargent) (1940)
One Dozen Roses (vocal by

Pee Wee Hunt Walter Gerhardt "Pee Wee" Hunt (May 10, 1907 – June 22, 1979) was an American jazz trombonist, vocalist, and bandleader. Hunt was born in Mount Healthy, Ohio. He developed a musical interest at an early age, as his mother, Sadie, played the b ...

) (1942)

Don't Get Around Much Anymore "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" is a jazz standard written by composer Duke Ellington. The song was originally entitled "Never No Lament" and was first recorded by Duke Ellington and his orchestra on May 4, 1940. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" q ...

(vocal by Kenny Sargent & LeBrun Sisters) (1943)

My Heart Tells Me "My Heart Tells Me" is a song written by Harry Warren with lyrics by Mack Gordon. It is the theme to the 1943 American musical film ''Sweet Rosie O'Grady'', in which it is sung by lead actress Betty Grable. A 1940s standard, the song has been recor ...

(vocal

Eugenie Baird Eugenie Baird (November 19, 1923 – June 12, 1988) was an American big-band, jazz, and radio singer. Career Baird was from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Eugene Baird, whose obituary described him as a construction foreman, ...

) 1943

My Shining Hour "My Shining Hour" is a song composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer for the film ''The Sky's the Limit (1943 film), The Sky's the Limit'' (1943). In the film, the song is sung by Fred Astaire and Sally Sweetland, who dubbed it for actr ...

(vocal Eugenie Baird) 1943
Gotta Be This or That (vocal Fats Daniels) (1945)

Personal life and death

Gray and his wife had one son. In 1963, Gray died in

Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklor ...

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

, aged 63.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. , p. 114.

References

External links

*
Glen Gray biography at Swingmusic.net
* Th
Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra records, 1915-1979
are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
Glen Gray recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Glen 1900 births 1963 deaths American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American big band bandleaders People from Woodford County, Illinois Deaths from lymphoma in the United States Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts People from Plymouth, Massachusetts Illinois Wesleyan University alumni American jazz bandleaders Swing bandleaders 20th-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Massachusetts Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Casa Loma Orchestra members