The Vox Continental organ in America

1963

In 1963, Jennings took for the first time a representative selection of its products to the two main musical equipment trade shows of the year: the , 17th to 21st February; and the , 21st to 26th of July.

On both occasions the Phantom guitar and Continental organ held pride of place on the JMI stands - supreme examples of new design. Quite whether Tom managed to place stocks of either, or indeed any other JMI equipment, in the hands of dealers in the USA is not known at present - perhaps not much initially. Reports published in the British music press in 1964 tend to indicate however that he did have a certain number of American outlets on his books early in that year, one of whom is likely to have been Zeb Billings in Milwaukee.

From Spring 1964, Tom's main drive changed though: to find a countrywide distributor for Vox/Jennings merchandise, not just a series of shops or dealers. At the NAMM show of 1964 - or perhaps more accurately in its wake - that search came to fruition in the shape of the Thomas Organ Company, with whom Tom already had a limited arrangement in relation to console organs - . The "Million Dollar Deal" was announced to the public in late August 1964.

Below, some of the promotional material relating to the Continental placed by Jennings in the American music press in 1963. More to follow. Thanks to Nick for the pictures.

A page on the Continental in America in 1964 and 1965 .

The earliest report of the Vox Continental that has so far come to light in American sources is from February 1963. As can be seen, the ad uses the standard promotional image, the text a synopsis of information supplied by Jennings. A few months later Jennings placed full-page ads for the Continental in a spread of American magazines. More on those below.

American music trade journal, February 1963.

The advert below, which outlines the main features of the Continental (much as above), appeared in the USA in March 1963, having been circulated by JMI initially in the UK in January. "Throughout Europe" signals the company's existing export success.

March 1963.

June 1963, ad for the Continental published in music papers in the USA and Britain, and probably in Germany too. As noted at the head of this page, JMI attended the Frankfurt Musikmesse for the first time earlier in the year. Material on the Continental early on in the UK .

June 1963.

Below, a detail from a full-page advert placed by Jennings in July - a version of the one published in March:

July 1963, Detail from a Jennings ad for NAMM.

August 1963 - a short summary of the Jennings display in Chicago. Of particular note is the last sentence. "Paul and Paula": the first American artists to feature a Vox Continental in their act? Keep your eyes peeled for contemporary photos.

August 1963.

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