If there was ever a contest to name a national anthem for swing music, Jerry Ford easily could win.

The director of the Jerry Ford Orchestra says that his 11-piece band has more requests for "In the Mood" than any other song they play. Made popular by the Glenn Miller Orchestra during the 1940s, the song is only one of several in the orchestra's repertoire.

The orchestra is known throughout Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois as the only group that plays music from the big band era. And "In the Mood" certainly would be the national anthem of swing, Ford said.

While the orchestra plays songs from a variety of artists, Miller is by far a favorite. People "want to hear all the tunes, like 'Chattanooga Choo Choo' and 'Moonlight Serenade' and 'String of Pearls,'" said Ford.

But since the group most often performs at private functions, like civic club dances and wedding receptions, there had been few public shows until recently.

The band decided to hold a series of "tea parties" on Saturday afternoons so that couples could enjoy the music and some dancing. That series ended in September.

Jack and Shirley Cracraft attended every one. "We just like the big band sound," Shirley Cracraft said. "We like to dance to his music because of the sound."

There are few big bands around, particularly here, so the Cracrafts try to make every dance. "They're the only ones left and I'm just amazed it's still going on," she said.

The orchestra will play from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Cape Girardeau Country Club as part of 60th birthday celebrations for Ford, and a release of the orchestra's first CD.

After playing at parties and other events for more than 30 years, orchestra members realized they had few recordings of their work. So the group decided to record an album of Christmas favorites.

"For all these years we played, we didn't have much to show for it," Ford said. "We just hadn't recorded anything."

So the Christmas CD is the first, and will sell for $12. All the proceeds will help pay for future recordings of the orchestra. "We hoped to get enough to generate some profit and do another," Ford said.

Some future recordings could include more songs from the big band era. "There are thousands of songs" that could be recorded, he said.

"We're the only group in this territory keeping the music of the big band era alive," Ford said. "We don't play as much as we did 20 years ago but the younger generations have discovered swing and that brought back a resurgence."

Judy Holcomb was part of that big-band-era resurgence. After taking lessons in ballroom dancing, she would often organize parties so that the couples could practice what they learned. And at each party, she asked the Jerry Ford orchestra or a combo to play.

"It's just great music and hard to find anymore," she said.

Every chance she and her husband, John, get to attend a dance or event where Ford is playing, they do. "We like waltzes and Latin music, but Jerry's music is our favorite," Judy Holcomb said.

Jerry Ford has been playing with bands and orchestras since he was just 15 years old. He has an orchestra, Dixieland combo, jazz combo and even a German band. His first professional job was with the Jack Kinder Orchestra during a show at the Malden Air Force Base Officers' Club.

But his quest to be a musician goes farther back. "I had been hooked from a little kid," he said. "I always wanted to play. I'd hear it on the radio."

So he begged his father and the high school band teacher to let him start trumpet lessons early. And it paid off.

Over the years, Ford has played in house bands at the Colony Club and the Purple Crackle Club, both in East Cape Girardeau, Ill., for KFVS-TV telethons and as the house band for the Jaycee Follies for 20 years. He has played back-up for Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Bobby Vinton, Kenny Rogers and Ray Stevens.

The Jerry Ford Orchestra also represented Missouri at the 1998 and 1999 Southern Legislative conferences.

"In these years, we've done more as a group to keep alive the music of the big band era," Ford said. "We're still swinging."

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126