JACKIE BROWN
NOT JUST A THEATRE ORGANIST
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A MUSIC ARRANGER’S LIFE FOR ME!
Jackie, aged 17, seated at the Console of what is believed to be
The Theatre Organ of The Granada Theatre Wandsworth
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According to Alex Campbell-Gifford (VCOS Journal, 1985), even at the age of 17 while Jackie was just beginning his career as a Theatre Organist with The Granada Theatre Circuit, he was already interested in musical arrangement and harboured a wish to break into this side of the business. He also hoped to become an accompanist.
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Mr. Alex Campbell-Gifford, a retired military officer with a deep interest in the Theatre Organ from the Reginald Foort era (1893-1980), is perhaps best remembered for his production of The Cinema Organ Herald, which offered a full colour cover, excellent interviews and articles, but sadly only resulted in approximately six editions that appeared long before the formation of either The Theatre Organ Club and the Cinema Organ Society. He also recorded a number of Club and Society Organ Recitals for sale in the U.S. Mr. Len Rawle credits the albums that Mr. Campbell-Gifford produced of some of his recitals, as opening the American market to him.
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What is amazing is that Jackie never had any formal training at a music college and seems to have spent little time actually studying the Theatre Organ, however his natural talents were to aid him in mastering this and other instruments, as well as other areas of the music industry.
Sometime in 1946 or 1947, Jackie gave up working purely as a Theatre Organist and decided to concentrate on finding work as a musical arranger. Seemingly, he obtained work with Ray Martin (1918-1988).
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Ray Martin was a Music Director, Composer, Conductor and Orchestra Leader and played both the violin and piano. He became the conductor of the BBC Northern Variety Orchestra and also worked for EMI’s Columbia Record Label (Electric and Musical Industries) as an Artists & Repertoire Manager and Record Producer, as well as an executive and talent scout.
Ray Martin & His Concert Orchestra – The Marching Strings
(composed by Marshall Ross, aka Ray Martin)
Mr. Martin also conducted his orchestra regularly on BBC Radio and Television and his own compositions were among some of his biggest successes (e.g. The Marching Strings). Another success was Ballet Of The Bells. When this piece was recorded, he allowed Jackie to conduct the orchestra, which appeared on the record label as The Jackie Brown Orchestra. Most certainly, the musicians employed were likely the same ones who usually played at Mr. Martin’s sessions.
The Jackie Brown Orchestra – Ballet of The Bells
Unfortunately, I have not been able to discover if Jackie made any other records where he conducted this group of musicians.
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Evidently, Jackie had also started composing, and one piece, Metropolis, that he composed was recorded by The New Century Orchestra with Sidney Torch conducting.
Metropolis – Sidney Torch conducting The New Century Orchestra
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After working with Mr. Martin, Jackie became an arranger at the impresario and song writer, Lawrence Wright (1888-1964) publishing company. In addition, Mr. Wright was well-known for having written and publishing a number of successful songs.
Lawrence Wright was one of the first music publishers to set up business in Denmark Street in London, which was to become known as London’s Tin Pan Alley. In 1911, he set up the Lawrence Wright Music Company Linited in a basement of a house in the street.
Lawrence Wright aka Horatio Nicholls
In 1925, when the Company was housed at Number 19, he began publishing The Melody Maker, one of the first music weekly magazines, which he used to publicise his own songs (written under the name of Horatio Nicholls) and continued to do so until 1929 when the publication was sold. Mr. Wright is believed to have co-written over five hundred songs, but many were perhaps written by others who agreed to him using his name as composer in order to have their work published. Perhaps his most successful song was Among My Souvenirs, which he co-wrote with Edgar Leslie (1885-1976) in 1927. His Company also acquired the publishing rights of a number of British and American artists during its years of activity. In 1964, following his death, the company was sold to Northern Songs.
Mr. Wright also presented a summer show entitled On With The Show on North Pier Blackpool between 1925 and 1956, where a number of performers received their first successes. In 1962, he received an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Popular Music.
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At some unknown time, Jackie left Lawrence Wright Music Company and joined the staff of Francis, Day & Hunter Limited, which is also a music publishing company.
The Company was established in London in 1877 and became the leading publisher of Music Hall and popular songs of the late 19th and 20th Centuries. In 1972, the Company became a subsidiary of EMI Publishing. The Company was established by William and James Francis, David Day (1850–1929) and Harry Hunter (1840–1906). The Company expanded rapidly, and under the direction of David Day, and later by his son, Frederick Day (1878-1975), and opened offices in Paris, Berlin and New York and became one of the leading British Music Publishers and published the works of many Broadway composers. In addition in 1900, David Day founded the Musical Copyright Association to protect music publishers from piracy and later, Frederick Day helped bring into effect the 1911 Copyright Act, which help protects the rights of authors and composers.
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During his time with the Lawrence Wright Music Company and Francis, Day & Hunter Limited, Jackie accompanied a number of recording stars of the times including Steve Conway (1920-1952), Peter Brough (1916-1999) and Marie Benson.
Steve Conway – My Foolish Heart
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Mr. Michael Wooldridge, Mr. Andrew Gilbert and Mr. Keith Beckingham for their help in the writing of this page.