A century ago, long before we had mass media in our living rooms and at our finger tips, Croydon locals would seek their entertainment at the cinema or the theatre, where variety and music hall were hugely popular, with a constantly changing cast of musicians, singers and comics.
And among the several theatres operating in Croydon town centre in the mid-20th Century was the Croydon Empire, at 94 North End, roughly where the entrance to the Whitgift Centre stands today.
In 1941, during the darkest days of the Second World War, the Croydon Empire appointed a new musical director who was to become a popular figure both in the orchestra pit and in the wider community.
Music man: Jack Morgan had a long career managing musicians across the country
Jack Morgan (no relation) arrived in Croydon after a career touring the country’s music halls.
Born in Swansea, Morgan was a talented musician and conductor with 20 years’ experience – when just 21, he had been leader of the orchestra at The Hippodrome, Manchester.
Morgan could play most musical instruments, specialising in the violin and trumpet. Despite being in constant demand as he toured the country, he struggled to make ends meet.
He put this down to his name being just too mundane. “I just had to change my name to get a decent living,” he told a reporter. “There was fierce competition from foreign artistes and a fellow with an everyday name like Morgan didn’t stand a chance.”
The change worked and by the mid-1930s, El Romano and his Accordion Band was topping the bill wherever they went. Marvellous reviews exist of their appearances in Mexborough and Swindon. They even appeared on stage in Croydon at the Empire.
El Romano and his accordion band were a complete music hall show in their own right. Within the group they had musicians who could tap dance, do impressions, and they had a first-rate singer in Don Gritez. Morgan, himself, was a “showman, full of beans”.
What’s in a name?: Morgan found suggest with a Latin-styled accordian band
A reviewer of one of their shows said it was astonishing that Morgan had enough breath to play the trumpet after leaping and bounding around the stage.
All the musicians in the group were versatile, with one of them playing the sousaphone, the mouth organ and the bass fiddle as well as the accordion. The band’s repertoire included a variety of classical tunes as well as melodies of the moment.
After coming out of war work because of his health, Morgan went back to touring the halls for a while. But he thought that he was being followed by the German bombers. He was appearing in a Midlands town when it was bombed before going to Plymouth where it was blitzed. The next week he was in a town in the north-east where there was a succession of severe bombing raids.
Ration book: Morgan’s potato song did not turn the tide of war
Morgan hoped the situation might be quieter as he started his new job in Croydon.
At the Croydon Empire, Morgan worked with Adelaide Hall, an American jazz singer who had moved to Britain in 1938. She was well-known across Britain because she often performed on the radio with the Joe Loss Orchestra.
In September 1943, Morgan, together with Mr W Lane, managing director of Lane’s Fruit and Potato Merchants on Sydenham Road, wrote a song entitled… “Potatoes”.
The song encouraged people to eat more home-grown food over the winter, something that, with war-time rationing, the Ministry of Food was keen to encourage.
The potato song was launched on Sunday September 12 at the Empire. Audience participation was encouraged and anyone who went on stage to sing was rewarded with a 20lb bag of spuds, donated by a Surrey farmer.
“Everyone in Britain has a duty to perform,
“To save the Merchant Navy bringing food thro’ fire and storm
“So let us save another way to save our precious wheat
“And many lives of gallant men that no U-boat shall beat.”
It’s fair to say that Morgan’s potato song didn’t have much of a shelf life…
December 1943 saw the finals of the Croydon Amateur Talent show, held at the Empire. Morgan and his orchestra accompanied the finalists. The winner was Gunner Bradley, of East Croydon, who won £10 – equivalent to £600 today. The runner-up, Miss J Cole of Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, won a presentation case.
In May 1944, there was a concert held at the Civic Hall to raise money for the Reedham Orphanage in Purley. Organised by Croydon Police and featuring their Concert Party with some guest artists, £150 was raised for the orphans. The feature of the evening was a song written by Jack Morgan.
This song was first aired the previous month at the Empire. Morgan had written a marching song for “Salute a Soldier Week”, with the refrain;
“Let us salute and thank our soldier boys today, help them on their way, make them bright and gay.”
By August 1945, with the war in Europe finally over, Morgan and his orchestra took part in a charity show at the Empire to raise money for Sir Philip Games’ Boys Club.
Radio times: Morgan’s work was performed on the BBC
Morgan also wrote a march for the supporters’ club at Crystal Palace FC. The reporter from the local paper said that he had first heard the march on a chilly January afternoon at Craven Cottage, which was a “cold and comfortless” one for the away team.
Morgan composed several tunes, including “Slavonic Dance” and “My heart will never sing again”. One of the most well-known was “Romany Revels” which was broadcast on the radio in 1946 by Morrison’s Engineering Band as part of the Music While You Work programme. Originally entitled “Russian Phantasy”, Morgan wrote it as a tribute to the efforts of the Red Army.
Another of Morgan’s compositions, “March of the Victors”, was also played by the brass band on that programme.
Morgan’s tenure at the Empire in Croydon came to an abrupt end in January 1948, after the pantomime season when he conducted the orchestra in Dick Whittington. The theatre was managed by the Hyams Brothers, who also ran the Lewisham Hippodrome. The Lewisham theatre, they decided, would change to being a home and venue for a repertory company and so would not need an orchestra or a conductor. Sadly for Morgan and his orchestra, they were the ones who lost their jobs, being replaced in Croydon by the Lewisham Hippodrome musicians.
Pitching for work: Morgan took out ads in The Stage to find jobs in 1950
This gave Morgan the freedom to look at more projects. He was appointed as musical director to Emile Littler’s shows based in Bournemouth. Several pantomimes and variety shows were planned and performed as part of this contract. Waltzes from Vienna toured for six months in 1949. His last tour for Littler was as musical director to Luisillo and his Spanish Dance Theatre in early 1960.
Morgan also toured abroad, appearing in America and Australia on several occasions.
He devised a panel game, selling the Australian rights in 1956. He also wrote the theme tune for Hands Out, which was broadcast down under by the Macguire Broadcasting Company.
Morgan appeared on BBC Television at Christmas 1958, conducting the circus orchestra for a Billy Smart’s Circus Special, celebrating the circus showman’s 50 years in the big top.
Morgan’s last contract, starting in November 1960, was at the Leeds Empire. This was a Moss Empire Theatre and Morgan was provided with a new leading violinist, Robert Feugill, as well as having the pick of musicians from Yorkshire and Lancashire.
He only conducted for one show, though, The Babes in Wood pantomime, as the Leeds Empire closed at the end of February 1961. Competition from cinema and television was starting to see the closure of variety theatres across the country.
With a lifetime in music halls, Morgan had some humorous moments. In one theatre, a cleaner accidentally knocked over some sheets of music in the orchestra pit. She replaced the sheets on the music stands but not in the correct order. When Morgan waved his baton to begin some incidental music for the show, some of the band played the French national anthem while others launched into a lively rendition of “All the King’s Horses”.
He also had some scary moments, too. At the Ilford Hippodrome, he was conducting the band when smoke began to drift through the orchestra pit door and out into the theatre. Morgan continued to conduct even though the stage was almost obscured by smoke and he was nearly choking with the fumes. His calmness helped to prevent a panic among the audience.
Star performers, including Tommy Handley, spoke warmly of Morgan’s skills, talent and caring nature, a rare find in a cutthroat business.
Morgan always talked fondly of his time in Croydon, where he contributed hugely to the musical life of the town, and was well-remembered by members of his audience.
If you would like a group tour of Croydon Minster or want to book a school visit, then ring the Minster Office on 020 688 8104 or go to the website on www.croydonminster.org and use the contact page
Some previous articles by David Morgan:
- From a few lines in Henry V, actor stood alongside the greats
- Cycle Carnival saw thousands lining the streets for good cause
- The church fire that consumed a thousand years of history
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