Harry Stoneham has been a regular session musician for many years. One of Britain’s finest organists, he has backed many of the top hit parade singers, but seldom taken the limelight himself.
Recently, however, Harry has been receiving his own share of attention thanks to his group providing the music for Michael Parkinson’s late-night television series. As well as being called upon to support such eminent guests as Bing Crosby, Muhammed Ali and Duke Ellington, they have attracted critical acclaim with their own solo spots.
Born in Plaistow, East London, Harry is a true Cockney and has been surrounded by music of one kind or another all his life. His grandmother would take Harry out to listen to the street barrel-organs, and his mother him the rudiments of piano.
Unfortunately, the advent of the Second World War disrupted his boyhood plans of becoming a concert pianist, and his family were evacuated to the comparative safety of Surrey. At this time Harry had no idea of making a career in music because “I didn’t think I was good enough”. Instead, he trained as a motor mechanic.
Although he regrets not turning professional immediately after his demobilisation, he refuses to feel bitter about it: “Regretting lost opportunities is a waste of time when the future is so interesting”.
Nonetheless, it was only a matter of time before Johnny Howard invited Harry to join his band at the Lyceum in London and thus started his musical career.
Harry describes himself as the “biggest ligger in the world”, by which he means that he is very idle given the chance: if he has nothing to do, he is most likely to do nothing! But he also has a lot of interests outside the world of music, and wishes he had more time for them bird-spotting, reading and building model aircraft.
For all his considerable success as a musician. Harry says “I’m still a frustrated actor at heart. It must be nice to escape from real life sometimes”. The other thing he would really love to be able to do is paint – preferably like Constable.
And the question people forget to ask Harry? His own favourite organist Lou Bennett, an American domiciled in Paris.
Label: EMI Records OU2049 Front cover photo: Rayment Kirby Cover design: Feref
Following the tremendous success of his first album, ‘HI-FLYING HAMMOND’, Keith Beckingham once again demonstrates the mastery of the Hammond Organ which has carried him round the world, playing before literally hundreds of thousands of people in Hammond Showcase Concerts.
Keith’s rapport with the Hammond Organ is very evident in this record in which he plays on the new model T.200. Each tune receives his treatment and his sparkling arrangements and registrations create another album which will seedy appeal to the whole family. As a delighted listener to ‘Hi-Flying Hammond’ recently said, “Keith Beckingham plays what people want to hear.”
Label: AD-Rhthym ARP-S1001 Cover photograph: Sen Lefton
HAMMOND ORGANS TODAY presents the superb combination of the incomparable sound of the Hammond organ and today’s finest exponents on the instrument. The artists playing on this album are KEITH BECKINGHAM, the acknowledged master of the easy listening style, who has made countless fans all over the world – GEORGE BLACKMORE, who has built a big following with his interpretation of light music on the Hammond, TONY BACK who has attracted many admirers of his unique Hammond sound and spectacular bass pedal work, JOHN DALES, a fine player with an individual sound and a devotee of the ‘swing’ style, ROY JEVONS, who is well known for his clean cut style, THE HAMMOND BROTHERS who have a unique duet approach to their recordings and are highly respected in their native Belgium and the continent of Europe, JAN de NEF and CO PILLEY who have used the Hammond to the very best advantage in their arrangements. We hope you will enjoy this bonanza of great Hammond sounds!
SMASH HITS OF TODAY FOR YOUR DANCING OR LISTENING PLEASURE
JACK IN THE BOX • MY SWEET LORD • LA BAMBA • ROSE GARDEN • THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN • MY WAY • BLUES FOR THE KEYBOARD • RUBY TUESDAY • POWER TO THE PEOPLE • DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE – JERICHO • Theme from LOVE STORY
This great programme contains all the wonderful rich musical colours and rhythms that can possibly come out of the versatile Hammond Organ.
Big Jim “H” sweeps keys and pedals in a variety of tempos for dancing to hit melodies. The trio rounds out the sound and the result is one of the finest organ records to originate in America in the seventies. Recorded Under
Of all the hundreds of musical instruments in use today, the Hammond Organ must spring to mind as being perhaps the most versatile, and certainly one of the most popular. Originally invented by Laurens Hammond in the mid-thirties, it has become widely used throughout the years. It is one of the few instruments that can produce an almost infinite range of tone colours. This album presents the opportunity to hear a wide variety of your most popular tunes, brought to life by Ken Morrish, a prominent member of the Theatre Organ Club of Great Britain. Each tune has a rhythm of its own, a selection which demonstrates the versatility of the organ.
Hear such cheerful, bouncy numbers as Jeepers Creepers and the oh so familiar tune that has introduced innumerable shows, There’s No Business Like Show Business. The organ becomes suddenly wistful, portraying the sadness of I Left My Heart in San Francisco, and the sorrow of The Green, Green Grass of Home. Then quite without warning one is swept into the fairground and onto the merry-go-round. Imagine yourself travelling up and down, round and round to the sound of Gold and Silver.
So if you’re holding a party what could be better than inviting the Hammond Organ along to provide the music.
Harry Stoneham probably gained most fame from his theme tune for the UK’s chat show legend Michael Parkinson. Every week his theme opened the show but few ever got to hear the full version. You can now hear it below if you wish together with an example of his work on this marvellous record which was recorded in the same hallowed rooms that gave the world Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band. The cover features model Suzy Shaw who graced many a cover during the seventies including several Top of the Pops covers featured here in Cover Heaven such as this
Sleeve Notes:
It is apt (though coincidental) that this album should have made its debut in the year of Britain’s entry into the Common Market, as it forms a salute to the songwriters of Continental Europe.
Here are 27 superb tunes with the accent on those bright and bouncy two-beat melodies which sweep the Mediterranean discotheques and beaches each summer insidious tunes which we come back humming after lazy sunny fortnights in Majorca, France and the Algarve.
Yet back home, if you’re like me, you forget the title (and couldn’t pronounce it anyway); you never discovered the singer’s name, and your local record dealer is singularly unimpressed by your la-la-ing of the song in question! And a surprising number of Continental hits never find their way across the Channel, except to special import order.
Harry Stoneham and I thought a goodly cross-section of these tunes would make a pleasing format for a toe-tapping, sun-filled album. Many, of course. have found their way into the British hit parade too; one or two were even written in Britain yet achieved much greater success on the Continent than they did here.
Popcorn is somewhat surprisingly an American composition for synthesiser. It says much for Harry Stoneham’s mastery of his instrument that the ‘Popcorn’ sounds he produces on this disc are all from two electronic organs not a synthesiser in sight! But then I could fill a book with my admiration for Harry’s music. However, there isn’t enough space here so put on the LP and let that speak volumes!
What do you think is the most popular instrument in popular music? The good people at Deacon Records think it’s the Hammond!
Sleeve Notes:
The most popular instrument in popular music the top hit titles of recent months! A superb musician plus super backing! What more could you want? ENJOY IT!
The ‘New Pop Organ Sound’ – what is that? With all due modesty: technically it is the most ingenious and musically the most fascinating production, which has been made to date with the electronic organ and it was created by a single artist: by Klaus Wunderlich. Connoisseurs have said: there is no one in the world to match him and his New Pop Organ Sound.
At the beginning, there was the good old Hammond H 100. Then, in 1974, Klaus Wunderlich had the idea of supplementing the unmistakable Hammond Sound with two more organs. He added a Lowrey H 25-3 and a Wersi W 248 S. With these three organs in his studio Klaus Wunderlich has at his command an infinite variety of sounds at his disposal. When you hear instruments like trombones, accordions or even strings of this LP, these sound colours will on generally from the Lowrey Organ. Piano, harps or similar effects are played by Klaus Wunderlich on the Wersi organ, The Hammond H 100 generally takes care of the melody line.
In his studio Klaus Wunderlich mixes his completely individual sound – the ‘New Pop Organ Sound’ – the sound of a large orchestra – on his three organs. Just two musicians, who add certain rhythm elements, help him in his work.
Such was the enthusiasm with which Ena Baga’s first Hallmark album (CHM601) has been received that further albums were inevitable. This is the first of these albums. Ena, one of four musical sisters, was giving public performances as a church organist at the age of twelve and was a professional cinema organist at the age of fourteen, initiating a glittering career which has taken her to the four corners of the earth with highlight such as Command Performances at Balmoral Castle and a five year stint at the world famous Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. Now, as chief demonstrator and organist at the Sound of Music Organ Studios at Chiswick, Ena is passing on her vast experience to the organists of tomorrow and this album of Lennon and McCartney hits, played on a Hammond M100, not only demonstrates the capabilities of this organ but also Ena’s great talent.
