Documents - Jennings Organs, 1955
On this page, an overview of the organs offered by Jennings - the "Jennings Organ Company" - in 1955. A short note published in "Musical Opinion", January 1955, gives the rationale (from Jennings's own standpoint) for the organs: to provide comprehensive instruments for church, home and entertainment, at low cost. See further below for the note.
The largest public event in the year was the "British Industries Fair" (2nd - 13th May, 1955), attended by the company for the first time in 1954. There were three venues: Birmingham for heavy industry, and Earls Court and Olympia for smaller manufacturing. Jennings exhibited in Olympia.
On Jennings Organs in 1954, see this page.
The organs shown were the portable J48, presumably mostly transistor and certainly well ahead of its time; and the J50B "Home Organ", J51B "Streamline Organ", and J52B "Church Organ". All three "J" types - "console" organs - were double manual with built-in valve amplifier sections designed by Derek Underdown. Speakers faced the organist.
"B" versions superceded versions with no suffix, e.g. the J50B followed the J50. During the course of the year "C" versions began to appear. The futuristic (and gorgeous) J51 was available with a matching tone cabinet. The J48 is not much seen unfortunately after 1955.
Some of the circuitry developed by Derek was later re-purposed for new ranges of Vox guitar amplifiers: notably the early AC2/30 of late 1957, and the AC50 mark 1 of late 1963.
Eric Easton, an accomplished organist and later manager of the Rolling Stones, was invited by Tom in 1954 to endorse and demonstrate the company's organs, in particular the J51.
"The Stage", July 1954. The J51 and its matching tone cabinet.
The J51 evidently sometimes had two built-in speakers rather than one - see the advert featuring Eric Easton in the section lower down this page. It was also provided with "TONE-ARAMA", a "novel rapid tone control".
Jennings also advertised its organs in Commonwealth countries, New Zealand especially, from 1954 through to 1958. Indeed, in early 1958 New Zealand had the first "Model G", the largest organ produced by Jennings at the time, the published note of its installation stating "available shortly in the UK".
For much of the second half of 1955, the main drives in terms of the music press were the "Univox" and the prospective opening of the "London Accordion Centre" in the basement of the Jennings shop at 100 Charing Cross Road. Sales of organs naturaly continued though, and by late 1956 a network of distributors had been set up - from Dundee to Plymouth.
Pages on 1954 and 1956-1958 can be found here. Other years will follow soon. A sequence of pages on guitar amplifiers, beginning with 1957, starts here.
Images for the time being have to be watermarked. If anyone needs an unmarked one, do let me know.
1955
"Musical Opinion" magazine, January 1955.
"Accordion Times", January 1955. The J50B. The advert was repeated in May.
"Accordion Times", March 1955. Nothing to do with organs, but a wonderful ad - the Fabi Brothers.
The British Industries Fair, April 1955
A general page on the Fair with illustrations from the catalogue and plans of the exhibition halls can be found here.
"Accordion Times", April 1955. The "B.I.F." was the British Industries Fair, mounted in Birmingham (displays of heavy industry) and London (smaller products). Jennings exhibited, among other things, the J48, J50C, J51B and J52B.
"Accordion Times", April 1955, detail of the portable J48, prefiguring the Continental by seven years.
A rough-print picture of Eric Easton at the Jennings stand in April 1955. The organ is a J50C.
Music trade paper review, April 1955, of the Jennings display
Music trade press, May 1955. A Jennings organ made for Eric Easton, exhibited at the British Industries Fair, May 1955 - similar in general outline to the J51 "Streamline" (Professional) organ, but with three manuals, and speaker at left instead of right. The "All-Purpose" is likely to have been a one off.
Centre on the fascia, a plaque with the legend "The Jennings Organ Company" and above it, a larger plaque of some sort.
"Melody Maker" magazine, 23rd April, 1955 (not 23rd May, as previously stated). The new J50C.
"The Stage", 28th April, 1955. The same advert was placed in the "New Musical Express", 22nd April.
"Accordion Times", May 1955. The J50C - "For Home Entertainment or Church use".
"The Stage", 5th May 1955 - a further advert for the "British Industries Fair". Note that the pictured version of the J51 has two built-in speakers. Others generally had only one. Eric Easton went on to become manager of the Rolling Stones. Once the various legal cases following his dismissal in 1965 had been settled (Andrew Loog Oldham replaced him), Easton moved to Florida, setting up in business there in the early 1970s selling organs.
"Southern Cross News" (Australia), 23rd June, 1955, a late syndicated report of the BI Fair. "This electronic keyboard (the Univox), other pianos and electric organs of the latest type will be shown at the British Industries Fair, which is being held at Olympia, London, and Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, from May 2 to May 13."
For much of the second half of 1955, the drive in the music press was the Univox, and the prospective opening of the new "London Accordion Centre" in the basement of the Jennings shop at 100 Charing Cross Road. Development and sales of the organ range naturally continued though, and a network of distributors was set up across the country - from Dundee to Plymouth.
"Melody Maker" magazine, 5th November, 1955. Some details on Allan Billington, first manager of the Charing Cross Road shop, are being gathered together on this page.
"North Shields Evening News", 8th November, 1955. Wiggs appears in the list of distributors published by Jennings in Spring 1956.
Documents relating to Jennings (Vox) guitar amplifiers, 1958