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Glenn Rowell (born in Pontiac, Illinois, Nov. 2, 1899 -- died in Rapid City, South Dakota, Oct. 1965) was an American pianist, singer, and composer, especially popular during the 1920s and '30s.

Glenn's family moved to St. Louis when he was 8 years old, and he entered show business at the age of 14, doing various jobs with the Clark and Walters Stock Company. At age 16, Glenn began working as a "song-plugger" for the Leo Feist publishing company.

In the early-1920s, Rowell moved to Chicago where he played for silent movies and worked with dance orchestras at night. He had met his future musical partner, Ford Rush, previously in St. Louis. On April 12, 1924, Ford and Glenn performed on the first broadcast from station WLS in Chicago. They became an overnight sensation and helped start the "National Barn Dance" on WLS. Soon they began making phonograph records, including one of the first recordings of Isham Jones's song "I'll See You in My Dreams." Over the years, they would make dozens and dozens of records for various labels, such as Columbia and Victor. Rowell wrote many popular songs, notably the beautiful waltzes "School Day Sweethearts" (published under the pseudonym Glen Edwards) and "I Wish You Were Jealous of Me." Ford and Glenn biggest hit was "I Get the Blues When It Rains," for which Rowell contributed at least the verse and lyrics. Ford and Glenn were among the first super stars in radio and worked with many other huge names in show business. They toured for one season in 1928 over the Orpheum vaudeville circuit and made $2,100 a week!

Gene Carroll joined Ford and Glenn to form the team of "Gene, Ford, and Glenn" for a few months in 1930. Ford left the group shortly, after which Gene and Glenn hit the airwaves (their on-air personalities were "Jake and Lena"). One of Gene and Glenn's biggest records was "Whippoorwill" backed with "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree." Gene and Glenn broadcast over many stations, and in the mid-1930s settled at WTAM in Cincinatti, Ohio. Their sponsors included Quaker Oats, Gillette Razor Blades, and Kellogg's. Rowell claimed to have discovered Art Tatum playing in Cincinnati and got him a spot of Rudy Vallee's radio show. However, Tatum preferred playing in secluded clubs to being in the spotlight. Gene and Glenn finally dissolved their partnership at WTIC in Hartford, Connecticut.

Rowell continued working on the East Coast, doing several kids' television shows in New York, where he became known as "Captain Glenn." In the '50s, however, his wife's health forced them to move to Rapid City, South Dakota. It was there that another phase in his career began when he met young ragtime pianist Johnny Maddox. They recorded an album together, Ragtime Duets, for Dot Records and subsequently performed in Rapid City, Toronto, Canada, and the Bahamas. Sadly, Glenn Rowell died in Rapid City of cancer at the age of 65.