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Obituary for LEON BERRY Chicago Tribune, August 27, 1996
This is from the Chicago Tribune 8/27/96. by Kenan Heise, Tribune staff writer
Leon C. Berry, 82, an organist known in the Chicago area as the dean of
roller rink rock, performed for many years at such rinks as the Hub in
Norridge, the Arcadia at Montrose Ave. and Broadway, and the Orbit in
Palatine. In 1953 he recorded "Misirlou", a hit that ranked sixth on the
Billboard Magazine popularity charts.
A resident of Park Ridge, he died at home Friday, August 26th.
"He was very talented", said Robert Zoltek, a fan. "He introduced
classical music to roller rinks, performing such pieces on the organ as 'The Grand March' from the opera 'Aida'. He was the best, and people loved
him".
While a student at the American Conservatory of Music, he took a job at the Hammond Organ Co. plant in Chicago. A salesman mentioned that he had
sold an organ to a roller rink at Broadway and Montrose and had promised the owners he would find someone to play it.
Mr. Berry, who first learned to play the organ as a child in church in
Selma, Ala, was hired at $80 a week by the rink owners. Mr. Berry next performed at the Hub from 1950 to 1967 and subsequently at The Orbit Skate Center in Palatine, Illinois. He also got work performing at the Trianon Ballroom on the South Side. He
played during intermissions between such bands as Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk.
In the early 1950's he acquired a massive organ affectionately known as
"The Lion". It had been used in the Lake Theater in Crystal Lake and so totally filled his basement that as it was being installed he had to
eliminate the cold air return duct for the furnace.
Survivors include a daughter, Linda DeBruler; a sister; a brother; and
three grandchildren.
Service for Mr. Berry were held in Park Ridge.
Bryce Carus writes...
Mr. Leon Berry was held in high regard and as I understand it he was
still playing at the Orbit Skate Center in Palatine, Ill prior to his death in 1996.
As one who saw Leon spend many hours working on the Pipe Organ at the
Hub, I know he had a tremendous dedication and knowledge of that musical instrument. No matter how good it sounded he always seemed to feel that it
needed just a little bit more of something. Leon was a perfectionist and we were all beneficiaries of his talent.
The Hub was a Great Roller Rink, but who can think of the Hub and not
remember Leon Berry and the Giant Wurlitzer.
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Read more about Leon Berry
Jim Keatings Writings
Audio Fidelity and its effect on his music
Muzak Corporation
British Ripoff of Leon's Recordings
Information on Leon's Recordings
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Jim Keating's recollection of Leon Berry's Pipe Organ Recordings
Leon Berry was the inspiration for many other organists, among them, Jim Keating.. In this page, Jim relates the history of Leon's venture
into the recording business..
Leon's first venture in recording was a 78 RPM "vanity" record mastered and pressed by a small independent company in 1953. This 78 RPM was on the
Balkan Label, BAL-7000 Side one, a wonderful rendition of Misirlou Side two, was The Sorcerer Tango.
The idea was to offer this record for sale to the skaters at the Hub
Roller Rink. The intention was more for use as a souvenir than a retail item. Local DJ's secured copies of this record and gave Misirlou a lot
of play time on the air, and the song gained a lot of popularity. Radio industry power brokers convinced Leon that the record needed the promotional
push of a major label. Each Station's top personality lobbied for their Favorite label. One of the city's most popular and powerful broadcasters was
so angry that Leon did not sell the record to his patron label that he had another organist produce a recording of the same songs as revenge. (Mr
Keating did not mention any name but most who skated at the Hub knew it was Howard Miller and some organist from Kansas City)... No harm was done
since the copycat did not go over very well. A healthy Cash advance and a New Pontiac convinced Leon to go with Dot Recording company. Dot released
the record under their label and it hit number six on Billboards top 10!!
Not bad for what started out as a souvenir for skaters at the Hub. Dot
released four more songs several years later on the newly developed 45 RPM extended play record..
Based on the Success of Misirlou, the newly formed Replica Record Company struck a deal with Leon to make recordings at the Hub Rink. Leon had never
given Dot Records an exclusive contract since he was aware that many recording companies signed artists with no intent of producing records. They
signed them only so they could keep other companies from producing recordings of their music..
The Replica Studio was a pioneer in 33 RPM microgroove technology. Though
Stereo Technology had not yet been developed (the recordings were all monaural) the fidelity and frequency range was state of the art. The dynamic
range of the Hub Rink Wurlitzer showed off the recently introduced HI-FI systems to best advantage. Leon's innovative use of percussions, and
powerful bass lines made his organ music a lot more "jazzy" and appealing to the market than the "dreary" music most folks associated with Organ music.
Consequently the records were the toast of the audio world, and sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
Four 10" 33 RPM Volumes titled Glockenspiels Traps & Plenty of Pipes
were recorded at the Hub. These were repackaged into three 12" volumes. Replica also released a recording of Leon Playing his Home Wurlitzer
known as the "Beast in The Basement". (This is the organ Leon rescued from the Lake Theater, Crystal Lake Illinois, and set up in the basement of
his home in Norridge Illinois, thus the Beast in the Basement)
Bill Huck the owner of Replica realized his business was perhaps too heavily based on the popularity of Leon Berry, and the Hub organ. He feared
that in the future, Leon could pull the rug out from under him. Mr. Huck decided to diversify. Leon sensed a new lack of enthusiasm on Bill Huck's
part, and Leon and Replica went their separate ways. Replica recorded other organists, but none ever had the success of the Leon Berry recordings.
ENTER.. AUDIO FIDELITY
In 1956, Leon was contracted by Producer Sid Frey of the Audio Fidelity Record Company. Leon's first Audio Fidelity Release was a 12" monaural album
titled, 'Leon Berry at the GIANT Wurlitzer Pipe Organ', recorded at the Hub Rink, Chicago. The emphasis on the word GIANT was a marketing buzz word
of the time, since the movie GIANT had recently been released and the word GIANT was being used to market everything from apples to zinnias. Volumes 2
- 6 of the GIANT Wurlitzer followed shortly after Vol 1 and then a new technology surfaced, STEREOPHONIC recordings! Audio fidelity Quickly
re-recorded the same songs in Stereo, and reissued all 6 volumes. This author, has all 6 volumes in both monaural and stereo and can verify that
the arrangements of the same songs are different. Once again Leon's records sold well. Several Stereophonic playback system manufacturers offered Leon
Berry records in whole, or included selected cuts on their demo records. Leon Berry playing the Hub Roller Skating Rink Wurlitzer was heard in audio
stores nationwide. Leon gained much notoriety.
Throughout the 1960's & 1970's Audio Fidelity distributed the original
recordings, and several repackaged compilations of material recorded at the Hub, as well as some recorded on the 'Beast in the Basement'. Royalties
came to Leon semi annually until they ceased operation.
MUZAK CORPORATION
Did Leon have complete control over what songs
were put on the records? NO, Many were selected by the producer, and were not part of his own personal hit parade. Licensing and other legalities come
into play. This is why, much to the dismay of some regular Hub patrons, some of the disks had songs on them that they never heard Leon play at the rink
and some of the signature tunes he loved were never included on albums.
Leon's only lack of success in the recording market turned out to be a
source of great delight for him. during the height of the Audio Fidelity success, the Muzak corporation became aware of Leon and decided they
wanted him to record for them. Sessions were set up and recording masters were made. After the Muzak coporation brass reviewed the final tapes,
they sent Leon a polite rejection letter, explaining their regrets that the music was just too lively and rhythmically impelling for use in an
elevator, or as background music in a tea room.. Leon loved to recount that story, and always glowed when he did..
THE RIP OFF
A few years before Leon's death, a concern in
Great Britain issued pirated Leon's Replica recordings on disk and in the
cassette format under different titles, and with no artist credits. A
British fan sent Leon a copy of the cassette. When asked if he planned to
initiate litigation, Leon cheerfully replied "oh you have got to be kidding,
I'm just thrilled that after 40 years someone would think those old Hub Rink
recordings are worth bothering with"... Oh Leon, to some of us they are
priceless...
Leon's recordings on an instrument that was made obsolete years earlier
by the electric Hammond Organ did much to preserve the Theater Pipe Organ
into the 21st century. Countless Organ enthusiasts and organists credit
listening to Leon Berry and his recordings as their original inspiration.
The worlds of theater pipe organ music, audiophiles, and skating might
have been much less phenomenal had the builders of the Hub Rink decided
to us a modern Electric Organ, or worse yet, a playback system for
commercially available skating records instead of purchasing the Wurlitzer
from the shuttered Madison Gardens Rink... Hard to believe but Leon said
they paid $500 for that organ. And in closing, thanks Leon for if it had not
been for the "souvenir" record, we may not still be enjoying the sounds of
that GIANT Wurlitzer, played by you... |
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