Colorado Music Hall Of Fame Comes Calling For Glenn Miller & Lannie Garrett
By Tom Mustin
MORRISON, Colo. (CBS4) - Some home-grown music pioneers are being honored for their talents. Glenn Miller and Lannie Garrett headline the latest group of performers to be added to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.
Laury Wolfe couldn't be prouder of his uncle -- legendary band leader Glenn Miller.
"He was a big deal," Wolfe told CBS4's Tom Mustin.
Miller is the crown jewel of the latest inductees into the hall.
"I'm a little prejudiced. I thought he should have been the first one in," said Wolfe.
Wolfe spoke to Mustin surrounded by Miller's gold records at University of Colorado's Old Main Heritage Center. Wolfe talked about Miller's time as a student at CU, practicing the trombone at the Sigma Nu house
"He liked to practice at night. The guys would kick him out. He would borrow someone's car and go up to Flagstaff Mountain and sit there and practice by the light of the headlights of the car," Wolfe said.
After leaving CU Miller became the most famous band leader in the world. Wolfe says in 1943 Miller stopped in Denver to see his family.
"Glenn shows up and kids came out of the bushes from all over the place and my mother said, 'Oh my God.'" Glenn just said, 'Irene, these are the kids that make me what I am. It's okay.'"
Hall of Fame chairman Chuck Morris says Miller helped put Colorado on the music map.
"To me, the two greatest names in the history of the state are John Denver, who we inducted first, and Glenn Miller," Morris said.
Along with Miller, the inductees include fellow 20th century pioneers -- Paul Whiteman -- a Denver native who became a national star in the 1920s and 1930s; Max Morath from Colorado Springs who gained fame as "Mr Ragtime;" Elizabeth Spencer, a singer discovered by Thomas Edison -- her stepfather, Colonel William Gilpin, was the first governor of the territory of Colorado; and Billy Murray, whom Hall director G. Brown calls "The Jay Z of 1910."
Rounding out the list is Colorado legend Lannie Garrett.
"I'm very honored and thrilled about it," said Garrett.
Garrett came to Colorado in the 1970s from Chicago. After working as a waitress she got her break singing in an unusual group.
"They wanted a white girl in the middle, it didn't matter if I could sing or not," she told Mustin. "So I got the job. The next thing I knew we were opening for Ray Charles and Tina Turner."
After 40 years of memorable performances Garrett got the call from the Hall.
"I did the Charlie Brown Christmas dance and I cried all over the place. Just to be recognized by my peers ... having this town recognize me just meant the world to me," she said.
G. Brown says this year's class shows the diversity of Colorado's musical heritage.
"It's imperative that we honor all facets of music here in our state. This class is an example of some of the amazing legacies that have come out here.
Meanwhile, Chuck Morris says the best is yet to come.
"We're just getting started because there are so many people on our list we want to induct down the road," he said.
The induction concert for the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, presented by Comfort Dental, takes place Saturday, April 16. The event kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Glenn Miller Ballroom on the CU campus. Lannie Garrett and the Glenn Miller Orchestra will perform Tickets are still available. Find information at AXS.com or through the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.
Tom Mustin is CBS4's Weekend Anchor. He has been with CBS4 since 2002, and is always looking for great story ideas. Connect with Tom on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @TomCBS4.
