To: hamster@tonewheel.zeni.net
Date: 6 Aug 2000 13:35:17 GMT
From: doug@cc.ysu.edu (Doug S)
Message-ID: <8mjpil$jfd$1@news.ysu.edu>
Organization: Youngstown State University
Subject: Hammond epiphanies...

These are somewhat spiritually-inclined (pentecostal background here),
but you all can remember your own 'Hammond epiphanies'...

The first time I realized the uniqueness of a Hammond Organ was about
1977, while I was watching a TV preacher - Brother Dave from Trinity
Gospel Temple in Canton OH. They'd start off every show with a song by
the church choir, the Hour of Power Singers.

This one song they performed every so often - Lanny Wolfe's "A Wonderful
Feeling". They started the video with the camera zoomed in on the
keyboard, showing the upper manual and drawbars (still hunting to find
that elusive drawbar setting, but I'm close). The organist played a
solo C-E-G and then chords with the melody... I remember the Hammond
percussion, and how the choir sang it with "drive" (I heard the song
performed by another choir once with a wimpy electric piano and a
bouncy style. Bleah.) That song has stuck in my mind, one of my goals
is to be able to play it the way I remember it (sheet music is
ordered).

A little after that, I realized that the church I was now attending had
a Hammond (now I realize it was a C-3), and two big Leslies, up on the
walls on shelves, one on either side of the sanctuary (it was wide,
three rows across, and seated 900+). They also had an M-3 (or older?)
spinet, purchased used from a funeral home, in the chapel. No idea what
happened to that. I got to 'doodle' on that a few times once someone
showed me how to start it.

The next specific recollection was in 1984 or so, we were singing
Charles Christmas' "Hymn of Glory". I remember our organist, Randi
Foxx, as she played 'Glo-ry' then two low bass notes, she'd slide some
drawbars real quick for 'Hallelu-u-uuah', and slide the drawbars back
for 'Glo-ry' again.

I'd moved after that and the next church I went to had a run-of-the
mill electronic organ, and I kind-of forgot about Hammonds until I
moved again. The church I'm attending now has an A-100. The organist
has never played a Hammond before, at his previous church they had an
Allen. He asked me to find some information on the Hammond organ from
the internet, and I got hooked... and that's how I'm here. I started
listening for the Hammond sound on the Oldies radio station... etc...
you guys know how it goes.

I don't know if Steve, our organist, will EVER master the Hammond the
way it can be used - he wants a Rodgers. However, I've got first dibs
on the A-100 if/when they replace it (-:

Doug

-- 
Doug S. (doug@cc.ysu.edu) (http://cc.ysu.edu/~doug/)

The shadow of a dog never bit anyone -- Kenneth Copeland
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