The Organist Entertains - Nigel Ogden at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer Theatre Organ

Step back in time and experience the legendary Nigel Ogden, former host of BBC Radio 2’s The Organist Entertains, as he brings to life a diverse programme on the 3/14 Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. Recorded in 1998, this concert showcases Ogden’s mastery of the Mighty Wurlitzer and his deep knowledge of both light music and popular song from stage and screen.

Programme & Musical Context

0:00 – Spoken Introduction by Nigel Ogden

Organ Showtime

From This Moment On (Cole Porter, 1950)

7:08 – I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside (Glover-Kind & Castling, 1907)

8:29 – March Medley

1. Spanish Gypsy Dance (Chabrier, 1883)


2. Marche Lorraine (Ganne, 1892)


3. El Abanico (Serrano, 1885)


4. Old Comrades (Teike, 1895)


5. Sons of the Brave (Bidgood, 1898)


6. Funiculi Funicula (Denza, 1880)



14:55 – Richard Rodgers Showtune Medley

1. Mountain Greenery (Rodgers & Hart, 1926)


2. Blue Moon (Rodgers & Hart, 1934)


3. My Favorite Things (Rodgers & Hammerstein, 1959)


4. There’s a Small Hotel (Rodgers & Hart, 1936)


5. I Whistle a Happy Tune (Rodgers & Hammerstein, 1951)


6. This Nearly Was Mine (Rodgers & Hammerstein, 1949)


7. Lover (Rodgers & Hart, 1932)



22:54 – I’ll Walk Beside You (Murray & Lockton, 1936)

22:51 – Historical Interlude: Nigel Ogden on Reginald Dixon & the Wurlitzer’s history

29:02 – Somebody Stole My Gal (Wood, 1918)

34:18 – Guide to the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer: divisions, stops & effects

38:41 – Quickstep Medley

1. Let’s Face the Music and Dance (Berlin, 1936)


2. You Were Meant for Me (Freed & Brown, 1929)


3. Berlin Melody (Berlin, 1950)


4. Margie (Conrad & Robinson, 1920)


5. Chinatown, My Chinatown (Jerome & Schwartz, 1910)



42:30 – Potted Overtures

1. Raymond (Auber, 1837)


2. Pique Dame (Tchaikovsky, 1890)


3. Zampa (Hérold, 1831)


4. Poet and Peasant (Suppé, 1846)


5. Il Tancredi (Rossini, 1813)



49:00 – Memories of Song

1. Speak to Me Pretty (Paul & Ford, 1958)


2. I Remember You (Schertzinger & Mercer, 1941)


3. The Trolley Song (Martin & Blane, 1944)


4. Sweet and Lovely (Arnheim, Tobias & LeMare, 1931)


5. Quando, Quando, Quando (Renis & Testa, 1962)


6. Thanks for the Memory (Rainger & Robin, 1938)


7. The Last Waltz (Deutsche & Humperdinck, 1967)


8. Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goodbye) (Erickson et al., 1922)




✨ Recorded live in 1998 with permission of Nigel Ogden and the Tower Ballroom management

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