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Topic: Graham Jackson Theatre Organist

Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 05-07-2003 10:08 PM

Ever hear of him? He was black an an organist at the Atlanta Fox at a time when he couldn't have bought a ticket. He made very few recordings, he played our organ on one of them. We would very much like to find a copy of his Byrd Theatre recording, or any other. Can anybody help??? Anything you might know about him please post. Many thanks
Bill

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-07-2003 10:25 PM

I would contact CATOE which I thnk is one of the largest Pipe Organ groups in the country. They may be able to help you in your endeavors.
http://www.catoe.org/catoe.html
Hope this may help you.....
Mark

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-15-2003 01:32 AM

I believe there's a picture of him at the console of the Atlanta Fox's Moller in Volume 2 of the Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ.

I contacted a TO list & got only this reply:

quote:
From: "john amy ben lauter"
Subject: Re: FWD: ISO info about organist Graham Jackson

There was a famous picture of Graham Jackson in Life magazine (1945) standing beside a railroad track playing the accordion as the train carrying President Roosevelt's casket rolled past. Tears were flowing down his cheeks as he was very emotionally wrought.

You might write the AFM in Atlanta to see if you can get some leads to some old-timers who might have some info, but that would be a long, long shot in such a large, transient group.

quote:
He was black an an organist at the Atlanta Fox at a time when he couldn't have bought a ticket.

The Atlanta Fox didn't have a segregated "colored" entrance & gallery? Humiliating, & the worst seats in the house, but the big houses usually had them to get every possible dime from every possible customer.

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 05-15-2003 08:27 AM

The FOX has an entrance on the Ponce de Leon Avenue side of the building with its own ticket booth. Patrons went up the steps to the highest parts of the balcony... The nosebleed section...

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-19-2003 02:43 AM

Yep, that side entrance with a stair that leads only to the top balcony is a description of a "colored" entrance & segregated gallery.

The Graham Jackson story actually seems to have done a 180. Someone has sent this:

quote:
I was a teacher at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta from l966 to l968.

Graham Jackson was a fixture in the community at that time, probably because of his close association with Presidet Roosevelt. He played the Hammond organ at a restaurant in Marietta and his speciality was a very noisy piece called "The Battle of Atlanta." He also came to Westminster to perform once a year.

Ben Hall was from Atlanta and so got in touch with Graham one evening when Graham was very drunk and asked him to come down to the Fox to play the organ. As I recall, Graham had never played the instrument. Ben took the photograph that appears in Best Remaining Seats on that occasion and made a recording of which I have a copy.

Graham was not a very subtle organist to say the least. I have heard his recording done on the Byrd Wurlitzer and think it is one of the worst performances I have ever heard.

Graham was in his seventies at least when I knew him. I have no other information on him.

I had erroneously thought that the picture of Graham Jackson was in _The Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ_; but he's right, it's in _Best Remaining Seats_.

Drunk organist stories are a dime a dozen, drunk organ installer stories are always better.

And as far as twisted theatre organist research paths go, it doesn't get any better than Georges Montalba:
http://www.albany.edu/piporg-l/montalba.html
http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/Montalba.html
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0231/bosler.php

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System Notices
Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi

Posts: 215

Registered: Apr 2004

posted 04-24-2006 08:48 PM

It has been 1071 days since the last post.

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Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 04-24-2006 08:48 PM

As a follow up, yesterday I found Jackson's Byrd recording in a record store in the next block for a buck. The playing isn't great but it isn't bad either. There are recordings out there that are played a lot worse. The recording quality leaves a lot to be desired, sounds very distant and is mono. I've been told by someone who was here at the time that Jackson was to have been the last organist to be recorded during a 3 week recording session. He and Ben Hall showed up a couple days late and at the last possible minute---after all the equipment had been loaded into the truck. The engineers were pretty pissed but set up one mike and told Jackson he had 6 hours and to have at it, he did what he could without setting pistons or anytime to familiarize himself with an instrument he'd never seen before. Considering the circumstances its not bad.

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