Sandy MacPherson
Encyclopedia
Roderick Hallowell "Sandy" MacPherson was a Canadian-born theatre organist in the UK who achieved considerable exposure in the early weeks of World War II
when the BBC briefly switched to broadcasting only light music. MacPherson played up to twelve hours per day, also filling in with announcements and programme notes whilst the organisation hastily evacuated its staff from London to various locations around the British Isles. Pressure from listeners and the press, who quickly tired of this seemingly unending diet of theatre organ day after day, soon caused the BBC to recommence broadcasting a wider range of music. It is perhaps worth noting that in the dark days of late 1939 - early 1940, Sandy's signature tune, "Happy Days Are Here Again" was decidedly inappropriate to the times and he replaced it with his own composition, "I'll Play To You", a slow waltz which he used throughout the rest of his career(written with Harry S Pepper, a BBC producer).
He played the opening music to the radio programme called London After Dark
, on the theatre organ in St. George’s Hall, London, broadcast 24 August 1940.
During the balance of the war MacPherson regularly broadcast on the BBC, initially from the original BBC Theatre Organ (a magnificent 4 manual 23 rank Compton) until that instrument was destroyed in the blitz on 10 May 1941. Sandy himself was then evacuated and continued to broadcast on a Hammond organ until Reginald Foort lent the BBC his travelling Moller pipe organ, it being installed in Bangor, Wales
, close to Macpherson's then home of Llandudno
. At the end of WWII, the BBC purchased the Moller from Foort and moved it to the Jubilee Chapel, Hoxton, East London, where it remained until 1963.
From 1928 to 1938 MacPherson was the resident organist at the Empire, Leicester Square, before being appointed BBC Theatre Organist in succession to Reginald Foort, the first holder of that position. During the war years, Macpherson instituted parents speaking to their evacuee children in America live on the radio. He ran a number of request programmes, for instance 'From My Postbag' and 'At Your Request', and on a Sunday evening 'The Twilight Hour.' He also put out programmes with other artists, for instance Robinson Cleaver and his wife Molly (who played organ and grand piano), Stephane Grappelli, Oscar Grasso, Gladys Ripley and Isabelle Bailliy. He even auditioned a young Julie Andrews!
In the early fifties he was best known for his regular programme of light-religious music 'The Chapel in the Valley'. Sandy introduced the programme, whilst "Mr Drewett" played the organ. "Mr Drewett" was actually Charles Drewett Smart, another theatre organist from the early days. Sandy also had a request programme running at the same time which concentrated on slightly lighter music and was very popular with the older generation. He retired from the position of BBC Theatre Organist in 1963 and the BBC sold the 5 manual 27 rank Moller organ, it being correctly assumed that the days of theatre organ music were virtually over, with audience numbers for this genre fast declining. (The instrument is now installed in the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, having spent periods in Holland and in a pizza parlour in the USA.) After retirement, Sandy continued to broadcast on an infrequent basis usually on the 4 manual 16 rank Wurlitzer in the Gaumont State Cinema, Kilburn, North London.
He died on his 78th birthday, 3 March 1975.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when the BBC briefly switched to broadcasting only light music. MacPherson played up to twelve hours per day, also filling in with announcements and programme notes whilst the organisation hastily evacuated its staff from London to various locations around the British Isles. Pressure from listeners and the press, who quickly tired of this seemingly unending diet of theatre organ day after day, soon caused the BBC to recommence broadcasting a wider range of music. It is perhaps worth noting that in the dark days of late 1939 - early 1940, Sandy's signature tune, "Happy Days Are Here Again" was decidedly inappropriate to the times and he replaced it with his own composition, "I'll Play To You", a slow waltz which he used throughout the rest of his career(written with Harry S Pepper, a BBC producer).
He played the opening music to the radio programme called London After Dark
London After Dark
London After Dark was a joint venture radio program between CBS Radio and BBC Radio that ran during the 1940 London Blitz.- Beginning :The show began on August 24, 1940 when CBS News Chief Paul White and CBS European Events Director Edward R. Murrow began to arrange the show by cable and short wave...
, on the theatre organ in St. George’s Hall, London, broadcast 24 August 1940.
During the balance of the war MacPherson regularly broadcast on the BBC, initially from the original BBC Theatre Organ (a magnificent 4 manual 23 rank Compton) until that instrument was destroyed in the blitz on 10 May 1941. Sandy himself was then evacuated and continued to broadcast on a Hammond organ until Reginald Foort lent the BBC his travelling Moller pipe organ, it being installed in Bangor, Wales
Bangor, Wales
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
, close to Macpherson's then home of Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
. At the end of WWII, the BBC purchased the Moller from Foort and moved it to the Jubilee Chapel, Hoxton, East London, where it remained until 1963.
From 1928 to 1938 MacPherson was the resident organist at the Empire, Leicester Square, before being appointed BBC Theatre Organist in succession to Reginald Foort, the first holder of that position. During the war years, Macpherson instituted parents speaking to their evacuee children in America live on the radio. He ran a number of request programmes, for instance 'From My Postbag' and 'At Your Request', and on a Sunday evening 'The Twilight Hour.' He also put out programmes with other artists, for instance Robinson Cleaver and his wife Molly (who played organ and grand piano), Stephane Grappelli, Oscar Grasso, Gladys Ripley and Isabelle Bailliy. He even auditioned a young Julie Andrews!
In the early fifties he was best known for his regular programme of light-religious music 'The Chapel in the Valley'. Sandy introduced the programme, whilst "Mr Drewett" played the organ. "Mr Drewett" was actually Charles Drewett Smart, another theatre organist from the early days. Sandy also had a request programme running at the same time which concentrated on slightly lighter music and was very popular with the older generation. He retired from the position of BBC Theatre Organist in 1963 and the BBC sold the 5 manual 27 rank Moller organ, it being correctly assumed that the days of theatre organ music were virtually over, with audience numbers for this genre fast declining. (The instrument is now installed in the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, having spent periods in Holland and in a pizza parlour in the USA.) After retirement, Sandy continued to broadcast on an infrequent basis usually on the 4 manual 16 rank Wurlitzer in the Gaumont State Cinema, Kilburn, North London.
He died on his 78th birthday, 3 March 1975.
Sources
* The Longest Tour, BBC Radio 3, September 2006- http://www.theatreorgans.com/southerncross/Journal/NEWS%20-%20Sandy.htm
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/history/pages/vernonjones.shtml
- Widner, James F. Radio Days. http://www.otr.com/londonafterdark.shtml. 12 April 2011.