Colorado Music Hall of Fame Announces Inductees Glenn Miller, Lannie Garrett and More

The Colorado Music Hall of Fame presented by Comfort Dental will host its next induction concert Saturday, April 16, honoring those "20th Century Pioneers" who have tremendous ties to the state.

The Glenn Miller Orchestra and the incomparable Lannie Garrett (who will also be inducted) will pay tribute to and enshrine Glenn Miller, Paul Whiteman, Max Morath, Billy Murray and Elizabeth Spencer for the event, presented by Comfort Dental. It will take place at 7 p.m. at the newly renovated Glenn Miller Ballroom on the C.U. Boulder campus.

Tickets will go on sale this Friday at AXS.com, beginning at 10 a.m. A closer look at the inductees, who will be the sixth group for enshrinement in the Hall since its inception in 2011:

• Legendary big band leader Glenn Miller graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 1920 and entered the University of Colorado in 1923; he then played with numerous bands before finding great success with songs such as "In the Mood," "String of Pearls," "Pennsylvania 6-5000," his theme song "Moonlight Serenade" and "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" (the first-ever gold record for selling more than one million copies in 1942). The Glenn Miller Ballroom was named for him in 1953.

• Often referred to as "the King of Jazz," Paul Whiteman was the biggest name in show business in the 1920s and 1930s, appearing with his band on radio and in movies. He was born in Denver in 1890 and learned music from his father Wilberforce, who was director of music for the Denver Public Schools. Whiteman learned viola and played in 1916 with the Denver Symphony Orchestra as first chair.

• Referred to as "Mr. Ragtime," Max Morath is a ragtime pianist, composer, actor and author. Born in Colorado Springs, he graduated from Colorado College and entertained at the Gold Bar Room in Cripple Creek. His 1960s television show The Ragtime Era was hugely popular in the early days of educational TV. Morath had an off-Broadway hit with Turn of the Century in 1969 and recorded many popular albums.

• Dubbed "the Denver Nightingale," Billy Murray was one of the very first music stars from the state of Colorado. Born in 1877, he spent most of his early years in Denver. At age 16, he joined a band and later toured many vaudeville circuits as a singer. In 1903, Murray released his first Edison cylinder recordings (precursors to vinyl records) and became one of the most popular artists in the U.S., singing comic and "ethnic" songs.

• Elizabeth Spencer was an acccomplished singer, actress, violinist and vaudevillian, she was also a radio pioneer, singing and reciting stories and poetry "on the air" in the 1920s. Between 1910 and 1916, Spencer was the most prolific vocalist on Thomas Edison's staff, recording in a variety of formats. Her stepfather was Col. William Gilpin, who served as the first Governor of the Territory of Colorado in 1861

• Singer/Entertainer Lannie Garrett has been a fixture on the Colorado music scene for four decades, and is still going strong. She has headlined with the Colorado Symphony, has performed in nightclubs from LA to NY, starred in two Hollywood "B" movies, and recorded 5 critically acclaimed CD's. In the early 1990's she co/owned and operated the legendary little nightclub, RUBY on 17th Avenue and in 2006, she opened "Lannie's Clock tower Cabaret" beneath downtown's, D&F Clock Tower, where she not only books eclectic local and national acts, but also performs regularly in a variety of shows from glam, sequined chanteuse fronting her swinging big band, "AnySwing Goes," to hauling out her comedy chops in her annual, campy, country spoof, the hilarious, Patsy DeCline show.

The evening will feature video tributes, interviews and performances. The pre-concert gala (a dinner and meet-and-greet with the performers) will also include a historic array of exhibits and archival photographs, to be relocated in the CMHOF's new home at the Trading Post at the world renowned Red Rocks Amphitheater.

The Colorado Music Hall of Fame, presented by Comfort Dental, is a non-profit organization. Its mission is to honor those individuals who have made outstanding contributions, to preserve and protect historical artifacts, and to educate the public regarding everything that is great about our Colorado music.

Previous inductees include John Denver and Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Harry Tuft of the Denver Folklore Center and promoter Barry Fey of Family Dog fame; the Astronauts, Sugarloaf, Flash Cadillac and KIMN radio; folk legend Judy Collins, the Serendipity Singers, Bob Lind and Chris Daniels; Stephen Stills/Manassas, Firefall, Poco and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

This induction concert is produced by AEG LIVE and the C.U. Program Council. General admission tickets and premium gala seating with pre-show hors d' oeuvers & cocktails available at AXS.com - additional information can be obtained on the Hall's website, www.cmhof.org

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