I Use To Take Organ Lessons

Way back when I was a pup around 10 years of age dad decided to buy a Hammond Organ from the Chiarelli Brothers music store in Allentown. It was located just North of Tilghman Street on 7th. Dad also joined the local Hammond organ club which would meet once a month at the old Allentown Moose which was located across from the Allentown Hospital on Hanover Avenue at the time. He also hooked me up with a wonderful music teacher who's name was Bob Hanke. Bob use to have a steady weekly gig playing at the former Lehigh Valley Club located 1554 Hamilton Street.

Bob suffered through my thoroughly lousy lack of talent for the instrument for about two or three years. Although I continued to delude myself into thinking if I just stuck with it for several more years it would come to me. Well it didn't. In 1967 I took it as a revelation when even God had enough and pulled the plug on June 5th. That was the day of the Mid-Atlantic power failure. Hey I can take a hint :-)

Seriously speaking, when I observed Bob & Mickey (a female who's last name I don't remember) played dueling organs to the tune of 'Tiger Rag' at one of the club meetings I was overwhelmed. There's no way I ever was going to get my feet to find those damned 13 bass pedals nor learn my 'B flat diminished' chord from a 'B flat augmented'. I don't even want to talk about my lack of rhythm.

The greatest thing I did learn (thanks to dad pushing me) is, no one can ever fully appreciate what someone else can accomplish unless they try it for themselves. That goes not only for playing the organ, but everything else in life.

With that in mind I present the following two videos. If someone never tried to play the organ they probably won't appreciate Richard Hills playing 'Tiger Rag' on the Wurlitzer Theatre organ as much someone who has. This is incredibly difficult if not impossible for someone who's brain isn't wired for talent in the same way. Either some are fortunate enough to be born with it that way or they're not. Or in the case of my brain's wiring... it's just knot!

Richard Hills- "Tiger Rag"

Talk About Multitasking!


Lew Williams at the Mighty Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa, Arizona- "Chattanooga Choo Choo"

Even though I had little talent I did enjoy being around organs. So right after high school I applied and got a job at Allen Organ Company in it's final inspections department for a little over two years between 1966 to 1969. I worked on the smaller model organs for the home (the T12a's on down). A few days ago I came across this following video put out by Allen Organ in September 2011. About all I can say is a hellva' lot changed over the 42 years between 1969 and 2011 when this video was made!

When I was working there we were working with transistors, push pins and in-house wound coils. There was only rumors back then that Allen engineers were starting to look into digital circuitry. There was no such thing as sound sampling. Everything was about mixing single tone analog oscillators. Surely a kid coming just out of high school, like I did back then, would never be able to understand today's digital complexities.

Without a college education in electrical engineering and at least some talent musically, there's no way I could have had the same opportunity I did back then in today's world. In this respect it's harder then ever for kids coming out of high school to land a job.



There's a message in all of this.. STAY IN SCHOOL. GET A GOOD EDUCATION. You'll need it!