The Duprees to Perform with Glenn Miller Orchestra at bergenPAC, 5/4

Bergen Performing Arts Center located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood New Jersey announces spectacular pre Mother's Day Celebration with The Duprees and the world famous Glenn Miller Band Orchestra on Sunday, May 4th at a special matinee performance at 3PM. New Jersey icons The Duprees from Jersey City and the legendary Glenn Miller Band put together by Glenn Miller who lived in Tenafly -reunite together on one stage at bergenPAC as a pre Mother's Day Celebration. Tickets available now at www.ticketmaster.com or bergenPAC's Box Office at 201.227.1030.

With their unique sound and outstanding vocal harmonies, The Duprees are still entertaining audiences in major venues throughout the world; appearing with some of the biggest names in show business. Although there have been changes over the years, the group is still intact and still performing to standing ovations at each performance.

The Duprees are known the world over for their romantic interpretations of some of the most beautiful love songs ever written. They have made a career out of giving new life to old hits. If you take the Glenn Miller arrangements of the 1940's along with the tunes of Joni James, Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Nat King Cole, (just to name a few) and put them together, you have the sound of The Duprees.

The group was founded in the early 1960s in Jersey City, New Jersey by William L. Dickinson High School students Michael Arnone, Joe Santollo, John Salvato, Tom Bialoglow, and lead singer Joey Canzano (later known as Joey Vann). George Paxton, a former big band leader was impressed by the group's style and signed them to his Coed Records label. Their first single "You Belong to Me" had previously been a hit for Jo Stafford in 1952. The Duprees' version was given a big band backing by Paxton and reached the US top ten in 1962.

The band had more top 40 hits in the next few years. "My Own True Love" was a vocal adaptation of "Tara's Theme" from the soundtrack of Gone with the Wind and became the group's second hit. "Have You Heard" and "Why Don't You Believe Me" also reached the Top 40 charts and, like "You Belong to Me," were originally early '50s female vocal hits (Joni James, in this case). The band became known for mixing doo-wop vocals with big band arrangements

With its unique jazz sound, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is considered to be one of the greatest bands of all time. The present Glenn Miller Orchestra was formed in 1956 and has been touring consistently since, playing an average of 300 live dates a year all around the world.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra was originally formed in 1938 by Glenn Miller who lived in Tenafly, New Jersey, the band arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, while three other saxophones played the harmony. Miller had already formed one band before this in 1936, but dissolved it as he considered it too similar to other bands of the era.

The new band became very popular and recorded a number of chart successes - among these were the ever-popular "Moonlight Serenade", "In the Mood", "Tuxedo Junction", "Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "A String of Pearls", "At Last", and "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo."

After the disappearance (and presumed death) of Miller in 1944, the band was reconstituted under the direction of Tex Beneke, its lead tenor saxophonist, singer, and one of Miller's longtime close friends. A few years later, the Miller estate, having parted ways with Beneke, hired Ray McKinley, principal drummer in Miller's Army Air Force band, to organize a new "ghost band" in 1956.

Hollywood contributed to the band's popularity and that of its founder and original members with the 1953 release of The Glenn Miller Story on the big screen. The band garnered award nominations and box office success, as well as top hit status for its soundtrack album in 1954.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra continued to record and perform under various leaders starting in 1956 and is still touring today.

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