Hammond Organ Extravaganza Part 1!!

 

 

                                   

 

                                        A big hand for the Hammond organ

 

 

 

Last week I wintessed a David Gilmour concert in the Royal Albert Hall on the BBC (it's now on a 2-DVD), some songs delivered excellent work on the Hammond organ by Rick Wright!

 

Curious to know when Hammonds came into the UK (and so Europe) and were affordable to aspiring pop, blues or rock musicians. Clearly with the date of invention going back before WW2, then specific Hammond models would have been imported before 1939? But after 1945, like a lot of European countries Britain was broke, rationing prevailed, trade deficits limited the ability to import, unless you had money to cover heavy import duties and purchase tax. Hank Marvin and Jet Harris of the Shadows' imported Fenders and bass guitar from the States: not only did it cost them (and their management) a fortune but delievery dates were very extended, because in part of the means of shipping. I believe it is common sense to suggest importing the later models of Hammonds from the States much before 1960 would have been more diffficult. But it must been done but HOW? However, did recording companies/studios buy  them (they did that in the mid 60's late 60's with the locally sourced Mellotrons and Moogs) OR did the occasional  America musician/band bring them in and leave them? However, also remember there was relatively little exchange of musicians because the American and British musicians unions took many years to come to mutual agreements about exchange of musicians, meaning little British music got played in the US  in the 50's (cf the amount of American music in the UK, but heavy restricted by "needle time"). However, UK/European jazz fans would have been aware of Jimmy Smith from the late 50's and Brother Jack McDuff from about 1960. Then  one website writes about Alan Price of the Animal using a Hammond with a Leslie cabinet, and at that point pop musicians wanting Hammonds with Leslies -  this with the Animals' first hit House of the Rising Sun (1964?). Graham Bond was playing a Hammond in 1963 - Georgie Fame is quoted as being inspired to get a Hammond by Bond. But again I believe we are talking Hammond with effects cabinets.

 

So Erik expect  an extended fusion of various snippets you have read here from me for your piece - and based on the question :when did specific models of Hammond (presumably with specific effect boxs) become  in demand and available and affordable this side of the Atlantic? 1960 seems a sensible start point. The picture suggested by Jazz Britannia wrt early British jazz fusion, increasingly seems over-simplified  the more I read around this subject. Interestingly read that Graham Bond  and others joined Blues Incorporated in 1962/3, with the idea of fusing the musics of Howlin' Wolf and Charles Mingus - so radical was the idea that one of the acknowledged godfathers of British blues was scared away - i.e. Cyril Davis.