Biography
Chummy Macgregor mattered far more as Glenn Miller’s steadfast companion and longtime associate than he ever did as an actual sideman in Miller’s orchestra. Their initial encounter occurred inside Smith Ballew’s ensemble, which Miller entered in 1932 playing trombone; Macgregor arrived on piano shortly afterward, and the resulting bond lasted well beyond ten years. Although he ranked merely as a competent pianist and an uninspired arranger, author George T. Simon noted in his Miller biography that Macgregor remained a devoted band member and an unfailingly loyal friend. Today, most listeners and film enthusiasts recognize him chiefly through the portrayal by actor Harry Morgan in The Glenn Miller Story, where the character is shown as Miller’s close ally from the very beginning. In truth Macgregor occupied only a peripheral musical role; his sluggish tempos exasperated fellow musicians, yet his personal qualities compensated, and his playing can be heard across literally hundreds of recordings. Fittingly, his own career ended once Miller died in late 1944. Still, Macgregor served as a consultant on The Glenn Miller Story, which starred James Stewart and thereby accounts for the character’s conspicuous presence throughout the film’s opening half.