Recorded from the AM medium wave radio broadcast in 1965 or 1966, here is an example of Gerald’s unique style of playing. He was as brilliant an arranger as Sydney Torch and as accomplished a performer as Quentin Maclean. He was the first Honorary President of STOPS and played the opening concert on the society’s instrument in Bangour Village Hospital.
We have tried to restore volume levels where necessary, but no other processing has been applied to these historic recordings.
Gerald Shaw was born in Scotland in 1911 and was schooled at Edinburgh Academy. While still a teenager Gerald took lessons with Dr. George Tootell at Marble Arch Pavilion and in 1932 became organist at a Compton 2/6, in the Regal, St. Leonards. He played for the opening of the theatre and also gave daily hour-long recitals. After moving to the Regal, Glasgow, with its larger Compton 3/12, he gave his first broadcast. A few years later he moved south again, and played for a short spell in the Astoria, Brixton, with 3/13 Compton. Gerald then moved back to Scotland to the Glasgow Paramount (Odeon), which had one of the four ‘Paramount 4c/10 Compton organs, until he joined the army in 1940.
After the war, Gerald Shaw re-joined Odeon, playing in the Manchester Paramount (Odeon) with its WurliTzer 4/20, then returned to London for a residency at the Odeon, Swiss Cottage, at its Compton 3/8.
The Rank Organisation (which owned Odeon at that time) expanded its empire overseas and Gerald was sent to open and play at the Rivoli, Cairo on a 4/10 Compton, (the only theatre organ in the Middle East) from which he broadcast weekly on Egyptian radio. From Cairo he was sent to the Sao Jorge cinema in Lisbon, Portugal, where he played a three manual Compton Theatrone electro-static instrument. On returning to the UK he played at the Metropole, Victoria, London, and at the Paramount (Odeon) Tottenham Court Road, London, another Compton 4c/10.
In March 1953 he moved to the largest Cinema Organ (4/37 Christie) in Europe at the Regal (Odeon) Marble Arch, to become its last resident organist. He soon got the instrument back on the radio after twelve years absence. He moved in November 1958 to Rank's premier cinema, the Odeon, Leicester Square, and its Compton 5c/17.
He played for intermissions six days a week for sixteen years in the Odeon, Leicester Square, which was England's number one theatre organ job, where he also played for all the premieres and Royal Command Performances there. Members of the Royal Family often used to drop in incognito during the matinees and Gerald always played Queen Mary's favourite song for her.
He had a regular series of broadcasts on the national BBC radio’s Light Programme on Wednesday afternoons, and unusually for the time, he introduced each programme himself, rather than the more usual BBC staff announcer.
When Gerald died in April 1974 he was England's last remaining full-time theatre organist, with over one thousand broadcasts to his credit, but few recordings of his unique style of playing, and had not long returned from an incredibly successful tour of Australia, where he had been treated like the ‘star’ that he was.
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