JACKIE BROWN
NOT JUST A THEATRE ORGANIST
Mr. Doug Badham, London District Secretary of the COS wrote: once you have heard Jackie play these songs you never want to hear them played by anyone else.
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INTRODUCTION
Before writing this biography of Mr. Jackie Brown, I have to admit that I knew very little about him. All I knew was that he had been a theatre organist and apparently admired by his peers.
My first encounter with Mr. Brown came when I was writing my biography of the renowned theatre organist, Len Rawle. I learned that Mr. Brown, along with George Blackmore (1921-1994), had been invited to perform at the final concert given on Wurlitzer Theatre Organ (4 manuals; 20 ranks) installed at the Empire Theatre Leicester Square prior to its removal in 1961 and re-installation at Mr. Rawle’s home, aptly named Tonawanda, in Chorley Wood in Hertfordshire.
Jackie Brown seated at the Console of the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ
of the Empire Theatre Leicester Square during the final concert held there in 1961
Jackie Brown playing his own composition, March of the Organist
The Score of March of the Organist
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When I asked various theatre organists about Mr. Brown, they were very positive in their comments about him. Two such organists, Mr. Len Rawle and Mr. Keith Beckingham, kindly shared their impressions of Mr. Brown with me and these were glowing, insightful and, for me, educational. Here are some thoughts that they shared with me.
Firstly, those of Mr. Rawle:
I have only good memories of Jackie Brown and hold the most favourable view of his great musicianship. He was someone who just quietly got on with the job and was a big influence on me (and others) during my formative years.
Although he mentioned his work on the Glenn Miller theme, he never boasted about it or any other of his musical activities. As you can imagine, at the time he found his commitment to undertaking the film’s musical arrangements to be all absorbing.
Jackie was much admired by his contemporaries for his weekly conducting and musical arranging of the BBC’s Billy Cotton Band Show. His theatre organ work was really only for his own pleasure. Latter years did see him playing electronic organ shows, including some demonstrations for music retailers.
It was always a joy to meet up with him for he had a cheery way that was always very engaging. I think it fair to say he played a significant part in helping to keep the theatre organ scene alive in the UK at a time when their use in the cinema had long ceased.
Jackie did not appear to perform on the twice daily organ broadcasts that were heard on the BBC Light Programme during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Or if he did, sadly I was not aware of them. However, we are fortunate enough to have his generous appearances at the TOC’s and COS’s club concerts and hear and thoroughly enjoy his sumptuous playing. I think that it was here that his love of the instrument and of light music that transferred to us all
Jackie’s organ playing had a style and sound that was highly individual and instantly recognisable regardless of the name of the instrument. He relied heavily on finding the sweetest combination of mid range voices and then expanding on them by the use of various couplers. His artistic use of them always left one feeling that his emotions were at one with the instrument.
Len Rawle playing Granada at the erstwhile Wurlitzer Theatre Organ (3 Manuals; 8-Ranks) of the
Granada Theatre Clapham Junction in 2019, which since 1980, has been installed at the
College Claparede, Geneva in Switzerland.
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And secondly those of Mr. Beckingham:
I first heard Jackie when I attended a Cinema Organ Society (COS) meeting at the Trocadero Elephant & Castle on 1st December, 1957. I was only a youngster at the time, but his playing style appealed to me greatly as he moved from ballads such as Chloe and Body and Soul to light opera, marches and hits from the latest musicals. He used big and bold registrations with glorious harmonies and subtle modulations, which were so well suited to the ‘stereo’ sounds of the Trocadero Wurlitzer.
To my amazement, he produced similar big sounds from much smaller instruments when I later heard him perform in other cinemas in the London area. He would drive from the BBC Studios where he conducted the Billy Cotton Band on the radio each Sunday, and with no prior rehearsal or preparation, sit down at the console and be immediately ‘at home’ on the organ and deliver an excellent concert.
He was in his element at the Granada Theatre Tooting, rising on the lift from the pit and playing the Theme from Rhapsody in Blue, which was the signature tune of his musical idol, Harold Ramsay. His earlier residency at the Granada Theatre Slough meant he was also able to become familiar with the smaller 8-Rank Granada Theatre Organs and it was always a delight to hear him at Clapham Junction and Welling Granada Theatres.
Jackie’s signature tune was John Brown’s Body and he always concluded his performances with that lovely ballad The Song is You. He rarely wasted time with announcements, but instead, played long, contrasting medleys that held his audience spellbound.
Jackie also played Electronic Organs and could often be heard on Early Morning Music playing a Hammond Organ. He later joined Farfisa UK and toured the country demonstrating their instruments. He was a frequent performer on The Organist Entertains and also gave a memorable solo broadcast from the Granada Theatre Tooting before a live audience.
His premature death left a void in the organ world, and for that reason, I often include a musical tribute to Jackie in my own concert performances. This selection has also been included on CD’s recorded on the ex-Trocadero Wurlitzer when it was installed in the South Bank University and on the Compton/Christie at Ossett Town Hall.
Jackie Brown was one of my all-time favourite organists and I am so glad that his life story is finally being told.
Keith Beckingham playing The Girl from Corsica at the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ (4-Manuals; 14 Ranks) of the Granada Theatre Tooting in 1967
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It is apparent that Mr. Jackie Brown was an organist extrordinaire and greatly admired by his fellow organists ……….. but, as the reader will discover, Mr. Brown was not just a Theatre Orgainist ……….!
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank both Mr. Keith Beckingham and Mr. Len Rawle for their contributions to the writing of this page.