Johnny Boonham

During the late Sixties, whilst regularly playing

piano, I began to play the organ. I became organist

at a local church.

Rushall Congregational Church had a 2 Manual

Pipe Organ and I started playing for services there,

eventually becoming Organist and Choirmaster.

At this time most Social Clubs and Working Men's Clubs

were buying organs and hiring organists.

I decided that it was time that I learned more about the

modern electronic organs.

For several years I received tuition from a local teacher.

He had a Hammond M102 with a Leslie Tone Cabinet

and I really became hooked on Hammond Organs.

I just had to have my own organ at home.

Finally, having saved enough money, I bought a

Hammond T200, a picture of which appears above.

The above picture was taken sometime during the 1970s and

shows my drummer Wal and I on Organ and Drums at a local

club in the West Midlands, where we played for Sunday Night

Concerts.

The organ was a small Wurlitzer coupled to a Leslie 145 Speaker.

We couldn't persuade the club to buy a Hammond !! Having said

that, the Wurlitzer gave a nice sound and the visiting artists seemed

really happy. We had some good times, Wal being an excellent

drummer and a good friend.

I played on a wide variety of Makes and Models of Organ during the

1970s. A popular organ with places of entertainment was the

Hammond C3. Not having built-in speakers, it was designed to be

coupled to one or two external tone cabinets. One C3 that I played

regularly was fitted with Sustain on the Pedals which came in handy.

I'm sure that the picture above will bring back memories for many

organists.

I spent many happy hours playing the C3 at various venues in the

Midlands and also had a residency for several years playing one.

Visiting relatives in the U.S.A. during the 1970s gave me the oportunity

to see and play organs that were not very common or were brand new

models and were not yet available in the U.K.

The above picture is of a Hammond H112. I know that this series was

available here but I first encountered this model in a shopping mall in

West Philadelphia and really enjoyed playing it.

I recently found the above picture amongst my sheet music and old

brochures. This is the Hammond X66. What a fabulous looking

instrument! It sold for more than £5000, complete with it's own special

Tone Cabinet in 1971.

I would be interested to hear from any organists who remember this

model and if any of these are still in existance!