Stories Of London

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Throughout Jackie’s career, he made a number of gramophone records where he played both the Theatre and the Electronic Organ.

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What would seem to be Jackie’s first gramophone record playing the Organ, and in this case it was a Hammond Electronic Organ, was released in July 1953. Here, he recorded a selection of tunes from the musical Guys and Dolls, and which was released as a Ten-inch Shellac 78 r.p.m. Record.

Side A (Left) & Side B (Right) of Jackie’s sections from Guys and Dolls

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In 1954, following the end of Jackie’s first marriage, he returned to the U.K. from Canada where he continued to build his career. One of his first jobs was to make several gramophone records under the name of  Lou Kennedy, which was his mother’s maiden name.  Jackie recorded these records playing in the style of Ken Griffin (1909-1956). Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any of these recordings.

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Ken Griffin

Ken Griffin playing The Cuckoo Waltz

(I remember hearing this tune each time I went to the Excelsior Kino during the interval, as a child and always enjoying it.)

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In 1963, Jackie along with William Davies (1916-2006) and Robinson Cleaver (1906-1987), were invited to give  the Inaugural Concert sponsored by The Theatre Organ Club (TOC) at the Buckingham Town Hall to commemorate the installation of its Wurlitzer Theatre Organ (3-manuals; 11-ranks). The album was released first in 1963 by Studio Republic at its recording studio in Pinner, near Watford, Hertfordshire, and again in 1986 by Audicord.

The Concert was recorded and released as an album in mono in 1963 & later in stereo in 1986

List of the titles of the six pieces that Jackie contributed to this album

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In the 1960s and 1970s, John and Malcolm Jackson, the sons of Jack Jackson (1906-1978), the one-time dance band leader, radio & television personality and disc jockey, produced many Long Playing Gramophone Record Albums (LP) and 45-rpm Singles of Electronic Organ music on their Ad-Rhythm label. These records were recorded at their studios in Rickmansworth, Herts., which was an off-shot of Jackson Studios.

Mr. Keith Beckingham was the first artist that the Jackson brothers recorded. This resulted in the release of the album, Hi Flying Hammond. Keith went on to record a total of ten albums and several singles at the Rickmansworth Studios.

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In 1969, Jackie released his first album with Ad-Rhythm entitled Farfisa Romantica. Here he played the Farfisa 6560 Electronic Organ.

Jackie seated at a Farfisa 6050 Electronic Organ

Album Sleeve (front & back)

Keith Beckingham, along with Jackie and a number of other Theatre/Electronic Organists including Bryan Rodwell (?-1992) and Harold Smart (1921-1980), each playing Electronic Organs, made two gramophone albums entitled Electronic Organs Today Volume 1 & Volume 2 for release on the Ad-Rhythm label between 1967 and 1975.

Top: Album Sleeves; Volume One (Left) & Volume Two (Right)
Bottom Left: Volume One, Album Sleeve; Bottom Right: Volume One, Side A

Jackie made his recordings at The Studios playing the Farfisa Organ since he was demonstrating this brand of Electronic Organ for Farfisa UK at the time.

Jackie playing On a Clear Day from Volume One

Jackie playing April in Paris from Volume Two

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The production of these albums and singles was indeed a Jackson-Family-Affair: the brothers’ sister, Gillain, designed many of the covers for the albums produced while Malcolm Jackson, who was recognised in the industry as a first rate recording engineer, recorded the sessions, and John Jackson was their producer.

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In 1968, Jackie played a concert at one of the U.K. cinemas where a 4-manual Wurlitzer Theatre Organ was still present. The concert was recorded and released as an album. Unfortunately, the album sleeve does not say which cinema was used to stage the event, however, since the sleeve notes say that the Theatre Organ had 4-manuals, the concert must have taken place at one of the following venues: either The Granada Theatre Tooting or The Gaumont State Kilburn.

The other 4-manual Wurlitzer Theatre Organs were either in storage (that of the Trocadero Elephant & Castle, which was eventually installed at the Troxy Stepney) or in private hands (that of the Empire Theatre Leicester Square, which was installed at the home of the organist, Mr. Len Rawle).

The concert offered a Train Theme, and consisted of tunes honouring the railway, and was released under the title, The Flying Scotsman Goes On Tour (presumably pun intended!).

Cover of the Album (Front & Back), The Flying Scotsman. with list of pieces included

Jackie Brown playing The Flying Scotsman

CLICK HERE to hear the full album

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In 2007, most of the tunes present on this album were re-released on an album entitled, Granada, which included pieces recorded by Robinson Cleaver. The sleeve notes stated that all pieces were played on the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ of the Granada Theatre Tooting.

Sleeve of the Granada Album 

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In 1972, Jackie made another album for Ad-Rhythm Records, which was entitled What’s on a the Theatre. The tunes were played on a Lowrey Electronic Organ, the Lowrey Citation Theatre Console GAK-25H.

Sleeve (Front & Back) of the album, What’s on at the Theatre

Jackie Brown playing I could be happy with you – from the musical, The Boy Friend

CLICK HERE to hear the full album

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In 1973, Jackie recorded an album playing the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ of Gaumont State Cinema Kilburn, and which was released by Deroy under the title, Sentimental Journey. This album was Volume 32 in the Cinema Organ Encores series of theatre organ records produced by Derrick Marsh.

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At an unknown time, the album Sentimental Journey, was re-released by Coronet Records in Cassette Tape form.

Cassette Cover & Information

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As I said earlier, in 1976, an album of Jackie playing the Theatre Organs of the Granada Theatre Tooting and of the Buckingham Town Hall was released by Deroy Records, as part of the series, Cinema Organ Encores (Volume 78).

Titles included on the Album

Sleeve Notes

Chloe is the only piece on the album where Jackie is playing the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ of the Buckingham Town Hall.

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In 1986, Audiocord released a Cassette Tape of recordings made by Jackie during the 1960s at the Wurlitzer Theatre Organs of the Granada Theatre Kingston and the Trochadero Super Cinema Elephant & Castle. This release, entitled Wurlitzer Stars, Volume 2, also included pieces played by the organist, George Welling.

Although Mr. Welling’s was not greatly known to the general public, and was not an organist in any cinema, he was nonetheless well known to, and highly thought of, by members of the Theatre Organ Societies.

Pieces included in the album Wurlitzer Stars Volume 2

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Jackie also made some recordings under the name of Wally Green.  He did this while under contract with the BBC, since it was not permitted to make other recordings when an artist was presently contracted to the Corporation.

One such album released in 1969 was entitled Go Hammond Go and featured Jackie playing the Hammond Organ.

Go Hammond Go with Wally Green at The Hammond Organ released in 1969
Bottom: Detail of part of The Album Sleeve Liner Notes

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from this album

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