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February 10: The Stunt That Invented the Gold Record
How a song Glenn Miller hated launched music's biggest award
On February 10, 1942, RCA Victor spray painted a record gold for Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo Choo, accidentally inventing music's most iconic award.
Key Facts
Award Date
February 10, 1942 during Glenn Miller's CBS radio broadcast
Song
Chattanooga Choo Choo by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
Songwriters
Mack Gordon wrote the lyrics and Harry Warren composed the music
Featured In
1941 20th Century Fox movie Sun Valley Serenade
Sales Milestone
1.2 million copies sold, first record to pass one million in 15 years
Gold Record Method
RCA Victor spray painted a master disc with gold lacquer
Presenter
Radio announcer Paul Douglas on the Chesterfield program
Location
CBS Radio Theatre on West 45th Street in New York City
Chart Peak
Number one on Billboard Best Sellers for nine consecutive weeks
Initial Reaction
Glenn Miller called the song it stinks at the first rehearsal
RIAA Recognition
Gold record certification formally adopted in 1958
Grammy Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1996 as a historically significant recording
About February 10: The Stunt That Invented the Gold Record
On February 10, 1942, RCA Victor spray painted a master record with gold lacquer and handed it to Glenn Miller on live radio. That marketing gimmick for Chattanooga Choo Choo accidentally invented music's most coveted award.
The Song Everyone Thought Was Terrible
Glenn Miller and his musicians hated the song from the start. At the first rehearsal, Miller turned to dancer Fayard Nicholas and told him it stinks. Star vocalist Tex Beneke called it a dog. Songwriters Mack Gordon and Harry Warren wrote the swinging ode to a train journey from New York to Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, and nobody expected it to become anything.
A Hit That Broke Through a Radio Blackout
The song faced an impossible obstacle. The ASCAP boycott of 1941 blocked most popular music from network radio for months. Despite the blackout, Chattanooga Choo Choo spread through jukeboxes, record stores, and movie theaters showing Sun Valley Serenade. Audiences found the song entirely on their own.
Nine Weeks at Number One
Chattanooga Choo Choo reached number one on the Billboard Best Sellers chart in December 1941 and held that spot for nine consecutive weeks. The upbeat swing tune captured a nation craving joy and escapism. Audiences packed dance halls and dropped nickels into jukeboxes to hear it on repeat.
The Gold Lacquer Stunt
By early 1942, RCA Victor realized something remarkable. No record had sold a million copies in 15 years, and Chattanooga Choo Choo had already moved 1.2 million units. An executive came up with a simple idea: spray a master copy with gold lacquer. No awards committee existed. No certification body voted. Someone in a boardroom decided gold paint would make great publicity.
Live on CBS Radio
On the evening of February 10, 1942, radio announcer Paul Douglas presented the gold disc to Glenn Miller during his Chesterfield program at CBS Radio Theatre on West 45th Street in New York. Douglas called it a recording of Chattanooga Choo Choo but in gold, solid gold. The audience had no idea they were witnessing the birth of music's ultimate status symbol.
From Gimmick to Grammy Hall of Fame
The RIAA did not formally adopt gold record certification until 1958, sixteen years after that spray painted disc. Perry Como earned the first official gold single that year. Miller eventually received a proper certified gold record, and the song entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996. The man who called his biggest hit a stinker launched an entire awards tradition by accident.
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Historical Analysis
⚡Historical Significance
- •
The February 10, 1942 presentation created the concept of the gold record, which became the universal standard for measuring commercial success in the music industry worldwide.
- •
Chattanooga Choo Choo broke a 15 year drought in million selling records, proving that the recording industry could still produce massive hits during a period of economic and global uncertainty.
- •
The ASCAP boycott that nearly killed the song's radio exposure accidentally demonstrated the power of jukeboxes and movie theaters as alternative music distribution channels.
📝Critical Reception
- •
Glenn Miller and his musicians initially dismissed the song as a throwaway, with Miller himself calling it terrible at the first rehearsal, proving that even industry professionals cannot predict what audiences will embrace.
- •
The song held the number one position on the Billboard Best Sellers chart for nine consecutive weeks, demonstrating a level of sustained commercial dominance rare for the era.
- •
Music historians credit the gold record presentation as the moment the recording industry began treating individual songs as cultural events worthy of formal recognition and celebration.
🌍Cultural Impact
- •
The spray painted gold disc became the template for the entire music certification system, eventually leading to the RIAA's formal Gold, Platinum, and Diamond designations that define commercial success today.
- •
The Chattanooga Choo Choo gold record presentation established the tradition of marking sales milestones with physical awards, a practice that spread across entertainment industries worldwide.
- •
The song's success despite the ASCAP radio boycott proved that audiences would actively seek out music they loved through alternative channels, foreshadowing modern independent music distribution.
Before & After
📅Before
Before February 10, 1942, the recording industry had no formal way to celebrate or recognize commercial milestones. Records sold in the millions during the 1920s, but a 15 year drought meant the idea of a blockbuster single had faded from public consciousness. Musicians and labels received no trophies, plaques, or awards for sales achievements. Glenn Miller's orchestra was popular, but even they expected Chattanooga Choo Choo to be a forgettable throwaway.
🚀After
After the gold record presentation, the music industry embraced the concept of certifying and celebrating sales milestones. RCA Victor's spray painted disc became the blueprint for what eventually became the RIAA's formal Gold, Platinum, and Diamond certification system. Today, gold and platinum records hang on the walls of studios, offices, and homes worldwide as the definitive symbols of commercial success in music. Every artist who receives one owes it to a publicity stunt and a song that Glenn Miller hated.
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Did You Know?
•
Glenn Miller told a dancer the song stinks at its very first rehearsal
•
RCA Victor spray painted a master disc with gold lacquer as a publicity stunt
•
No record had sold a million copies in 15 years before Chattanooga Choo Choo
•
The RIAA did not create official gold record certification until 1958
•
The original gold disc is preserved at the University of Colorado Boulder
•
Radio announcer Paul Douglas called the disc solid gold on live CBS radio
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Why It Still Matters Today
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Every gold, platinum, and diamond record awarded today traces directly back to RCA Victor's spray painted publicity stunt on February 10, 1942
•
The story demonstrates how a marketing gimmick can accidentally create an enduring cultural institution that defines an entire industry
•
Glenn Miller's initial hatred of the song remains one of music history's greatest examples of artists misjudging their own work
•
The ASCAP boycott and the song's survival through jukeboxes parallels modern debates about music distribution and streaming platforms
•
The original gold record preserved at the University of Colorado Boulder remains a pilgrimage site for music history enthusiasts
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Test Your Knowledge
How much do you know? Take this quick quiz to find out!
1. What did Glenn Miller think of Chattanooga Choo Choo at the first rehearsal?
2. How was the first gold record actually made?
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Original Insights
•
Glenn Miller told dancer Fayard Nicholas that Chattanooga Choo Choo stinks at the very first rehearsal, and star vocalist Tex Beneke called it a dog
•
The gold record was literally a master disc spray painted with gold lacquer by RCA Victor as a marketing stunt with no formal awards process
•
The ASCAP boycott blocked the song from network radio for months, forcing it to reach audiences through jukeboxes, record stores, and movie theaters instead
•
No recording had sold a million copies in 15 years before Chattanooga Choo Choo broke through with 1.2 million units
•
Radio announcer Paul Douglas presented the disc on air and described it as solid gold, creating a memorable moment that audiences remembered for decades
•
The RIAA did not formally adopt the gold record certification until 1958, sixteen years after RCA Victor invented the concept as a publicity stunt
Frequently Asked Questions
Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo Choo received the first gold record on February 10, 1942. RCA Victor spray painted a master disc with gold lacquer after the song sold 1.2 million copies. The presentation happened live on Miller's CBS radio program in New York.
This article is reviewed by the Pagefacts team.
Editorial Approach:
This article reveals how a song that Glenn Miller himself called terrible became the accidental origin of music's most iconic award, tracing the journey from a spray painted publicity stunt at CBS Radio Theatre to the Grammy Hall of Fame and the global certification system used today.
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