Trevor Willetts Ritz Barnsley BBC Broadcast August 1960

Trevor Willetts Ritz Barnsley BBC Broadcast August 1960. Sadly again not the best quality recording seems like it was recorded off the radio in someone's kitchen back in the day at one point sounded like someone is making a cup of tea and a dog barks a couple of times! But well it is 63 years old. I had never heard the Ritz Barnsley 3/7 rank + piano Wurlitzer organ in the hands of Trevor Willetts who was resident organist for many years right up to the organ being removed I think from the Ritz Barnsley. So another historic full BBC Light Programme 1960s Organ broadcast saved from a very poorly stored reel-to-reel tape.

[@richardbooth5238]

Hi there. Trevor Willetts was / is my grandad, on my mums side., He died about 20 years back. i have lots of memories of our own private concerts in my grandparents living room, especially around Christmas time. We would go to Woodwalk, Wombwell (nr Barnsley) most Wednesdays and certainly on Christmas eve, when he wasn't working in clubs (this in my case was in the 70's and 80's) and have a sing along. I was always getting into trouble for messing around with all the levers and buttons on his organ in the house... I had some early piano lessons up there too with my mum in the 1970s - many stories to tell. In the 1980's I borrowed a 4 track tascam portastudio from school and made a half decent recording of him, which includes some of the tunes on this very recording! However what I do have that could be of more interest though is a fairly large collection of recordings that he or his organ mates made. Some are BBC programmes, others from cinemas, and private recordings either at home or when he used to go out at visit folk. With me having a bit of a radio / audio background I have ended up with looking after the box of tapes. Some of the family stuff we have is on display in the museum in Barnsley. Anyway I thought I would drop you a line and say thanks for putting my Grandad on the internet! He would be thrilled - I remember presenting him with a CD I made, called Riding on a Rainbow just a few years before he passed away. Cheers Richard Booth (Past Times Radio)

[@BramleyProductions]

Oh, wow how lovely thanks he was a super organist and my aim is to keep alive the names of all these now sadly gone super cinema organists of this era. So it was truly lovely to read your wonderful memories of Trevor your grandfather. If you have any recordings you would like me to include I would be happy to put them up with full credits to yourself or maybe you yourself in time will get around to it we must remember this super cinema organist of that era. I did meet your grandfather at a concert many years ago now when I was so young! Thanks for your lovely memories and the super reply thanks. Kev.

[@wurlitzer895]

Hi Kev! The organ is still alive and well and living in a private residence in New Addington, Surrey. I heard it played a couple or so years ago - and managed to sit at the console for a few minutes. It was the first time I'd sat at a Wurlitzer console since the early 1970s. Nostalgia rules!! Thanks for uploading another most enjoyable recording. All the very best as ever. Peter A :) :) :)

[@BramleyProductions]

That's so great to hear. I did not know that I liked these Ritz / Union Wurlitzer. I did see and here the one down in Luton. They had a great sound and at 7 ranks make a good home installation I should think! Many thanks. for the super comment K.

[@JohnSBatts-wy6cc]

More catch-up for me here. Thanks for posting it.