"Sunrise Serenade" is a jazz song written by

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". "Sunrise Serenade" was Ca ...

with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. It was first recorded in 1939 by

Glen Gray Glenn Gray Knoblauch (June 7, 1900 – August 23, 1963), known professionally as Glen Gray, was an American jazz saxophonist and leader of the Casa Loma Orchestra.''The Mississippi Rag'', "Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra," George A. Bo ...

and 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 b ...

with Carle on piano as

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

2321. It soon became Carle's signature piece.

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

released a famous recording of it a few months later, arranged by Bill Finnegan, with "

Moonlight Serenade "Moonlight Serenade" is an American swing ballad composed by Glenn Miller with subsequent lyrics by Mitchell Parish. It was an immediate phenomenon when released in May 1939 as an instrumental arrangement, though it had been adopted and perfo ...

" on the backside (

Bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

10214).

Glenn Miller recording

Glenn Miller recorded the song on April 10, 1939 in New York. The personnel for "Sunrise Serenade": Bob Price, Legh Knowles, Dale McMickle, on trumpet; Glenn Miller, Al Mastren, Paul Tanner, on trombone; Wilbur Schwartz, on clarinet and alto saxophone; Hal McIntyre, on alto saxophone; Stanley Aronson, on alto and baritone saxophone; Tex Beneke, Al Klink, on tenor saxophone; Chummy MacGregor, on piano; Allen Reuss, on guitar; Rowland "Rolly" Bundock, on string bass; and Moe Purtill, on drums.''The Essential Glenn Miller''. Recording Information. BMG/RCA/Bluebird, 1995.

Other recordings

The song was also recorded by

Hal Kemp James Hal Kemp (March 27, 1904 – December 21, 1940) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. Biography Hal Kemp was born in Marion, Alabama. He formed his first band in high school, and by the a ...

and His Orchestra,

Bobby Hackett Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was an American jazz musician who played trumpet, cornet, and guitar with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Hackett was a featured soloist o ...

& His Orchestra, Nat Gonella & His Georgians, Teddy Stauffer mit seinen Original Teddies, Lubo d'Orio mit seinem Orchester, David Rose and His Orchestra, Billy Liebert His Piano & Orchestra, Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys Orchestra,

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music s ...

, Ray Anthony,

Ray Eberle Raymond Eberle (January 19, 1919 – August 25, 1979) was a vocalist during the Big Band Era, making his name with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. His elder brother, Bob Eberly, sang with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Career Eberle was born in Mech ...

, Billy Vaughn, and Roger Williams.

Wartime release

"Sunrise Serenade" was released as a

V-Disc V-Disc ( "V" for Victory) was a record label that was formed in 1943 to provide records for U.S. military personnel. Captain Robert Vincent supervised the label from the Special Services division. Many popular singers, big bands, and orches ...

by the U.S. War Department in July, 1944 as No. 230A in a new recording by Frankie Carle and his Orchestra.

References

Sources

*Flower, John. ''Moonlight Serenade: A Bio-discography of the Glenn Miller Civilian Band.'' New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1972. *Simon, George Thomas. ''Simon Says.'' New York: Galahad, 1971. . *Simon, George Thomas. ''Glenn Miller and His Orchestra.'' NY: Crowell, 1974. {{Authority control 1939 songs Glenn Miller songs 1930s songs Jazz compositions Songs with lyrics by Jack Lawrence