SHOWTIME 1
For full screen dramatic viewing, click on bottom rght hand corner of each video.
Part one of a concert at the Playhouse Theatre WurliTzer organ in front of an audience in 1984. The venue was the Playhouse Theatre, Hulme, Manchester and the subsequent recording formed part of the BBC Radio Manchester series Pedal, Percussion & Pipes produced and presented by Alan Ashton during the 70s & 80s.
This is the second half of the concert given by Keith Beckingham in 1984 in celebration of the (then) 50th Hammond organ Anniversary. The venue was the Playhouse Theatre, Manchester and the concert was recorded in front of an audience. The first part of the concert can be found by substituting the above title number to that of Vol 1. NOTE: Correction to DOB and age of organist Ken Griffin should be 1909 - 1956. Died aged 46 years.
During the production of these two videos, which features the 1st half of a live concert given by BRIAN SHARP in 1984 at the BBC Playhouse, Manchester, it was announced that he had passed away in January 2016. The concert was staged in two halves, and in this video Brian plays the BBC WurliTzer theatre organ. The 2nd half of the concert [Pedal, Percussion & Pipes Vol 4] features him playing the Kawai DX900. Both parts of this concert, during which he shows his inventive musicianship and sense of humour, are respectfully dedicated to this 'one of a kind' theatre & electronic organ artist. It was an immense loss to the popular organ world.
In 1973 I was a freelance producer presenter for BBC Radio Manchester with a weekly programme of organ music titled Pedal, Percussion & Pipes. From time to time I was able to present live concert recording sessions at the BBC Playhouse Theatre, Hulme which (then) housed the BBC WurliTzer Theatre organ No 3. This is the full live concert given by Ronald Curtis at one such recording session.
The concept behind this special video was the 1982 interview with the artist during my time with BBC Radio Manchester & is told in his own words and music. From that day we kept in regular touch right up to his sad passing in January 2016. I had the huge pleasure of seeing him and his delightful singing partner Elle at several organ festivals that I co-produced in Torremolinos in the 80s, as well as taking many of the photos that are seen in this video for the very first time. A great artist and friend and still sadly missed by those close to him.
Volume 6 in the series of live concerts recorded before an audience in the Playhouse Theatre, Hulme, Manchester during the early 70s for the weekly BBC Radio Manchester programme PEDAL,PERCUSSION & PIPES presented by Alan Ashton. The organist playing the BBC WurliTzer Theatre organ is Liverpool born Dave Nicholas. Almost from the day he left school he set his sights and aspirations to become a cinema organist. With appointments being hard to achieve, even though he lived opposite a Liverpool cinema that had a Compton organ, he auditioned for the Butlin’s Holiday group and thus began a lifetime of entertaining audiences on electronic and theatre pipe organs around the Country. At the time when this video was made he was approaching 30years of playing the organ at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall for their series of Classic Film Night presentations.
