News comes today that Jim Marshall, designer of the iconic rock & roll guitar amplifier and speaker system, has died. His powerful amp/speaker combo became the standard equipment of late 60's/early 70s rock guitarists, supplanting, with the possible exception of Ted Nugent's use of series-connected Fender Twin-Reverb amps, as the amp of choice for high-volume use, by Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, and others. And, so far as I know, is still in revered use for the purpose.

An anecdote: I once worked in close proximity in shared office space with Al Nalli, Jr., who then managed a one-hit wonder band, Brownsville Station, whose hit song was "Smokin' in the Boy's Room." Al and siblings, and his parents, Al Sr. and Barbara, ran one of the Midwest's largest music stores, in Ann Arbor, supplying the usual school rental equipment, etc., but also supplying regional rock acts with equipment and consumable supplies --- guitar strings, drum heads, drum sticks, etc., as well as durable goods such as instruments, amps, PA systems, and etc.

Al Jr. told me that a local musician popped in one day to tell him that there was a "crazy black guitarist" playing at the nearby Green Door Lounge, a small bar with a postage-stamp-sized stage and very small entertainment budget. But, it was told, that the crazy guitarist played with the guitar behind his back, set his guitar on fire, played with dazzling brilliance and extraordinary showmanship, and also, had the most impressive amps he'd ever heard. This of course was part of Jimi Hendrix's fairly ignominious and unheralded "return" tour to the US, after woodshedding in England. Al Jr. told me that he stopped in at the Green Door, heard the amps, talked with Jimi, called Jim Marshall the next day, and worked out an eventually lucrative midwest distribution agreement with Jim Marshall.

The Green Door lounge is lucky to have structurally survived a Jimi Hendrix performance with Marshall amps.

Jim Marshall; helping teenagers annoy parents and neighbours around the world.

Set to 11 and RIP, Jim.

His amps and S&W's model 19 are the reason why i'm deaf to this day.
God bless them both.



chuck

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They hold no Quarter

Coolest logo in rock n roll! I think The Who kept them in business in the 60s/early 70s with Pete Townsend smashing a stack per show...

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NRA Life Member

the guitarist for my band will be rockin' his 50W half stack tonight. Nuthin' like a Marshall.

geezerroxtemp

There was a volume control on that thing? All I ever used was the on/off switch.

......moon

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NRA Life Member

Brownsville Station was a great live rock and roll band. They would put on some of the best shows I've ever seen back in the early 70's. They played at a small club here in NW Indiana and used Marshall stacks. I'd be deaf for a week.

Crummy quality recording, but the spirit is there.

Brownsville Station-Mister Robert 1972 - YouTube

Yesterday mentioned his passing. Then they said the amps were High Volume High Distortion. Thought it should be High Volume Low Distortion... I definitely remember the rock concerts I went to as being loud but I was not sophisticated to know what the distortion was like. Now, with hearing loss, it really doesn't matter much. Just curious

That brought back some memories! The BS crew were great showmen, and I'd forgotten that Tony was part of the band at some point, but as I recall, they mostly performed as a trio without him. Cubby, as we knew him, was something of a sinister practical joker ... The band had some recording equipment, and Cubby would mismatch players and instruments, and record crazy songs, the one I remember being The Stairway to Heaven Polka --- imagine it, if you can. Cubby would produce phony labels for 45 RPM singles, such as "Casaba Melon Records", and, while they were touring, slip these records into the jobber racks and collectors corners in record stores, no doubt driving to madness collectors trying to find nonexistent references in the Swan catalogs and etc.

The Marshall amp's claim to fame was based on high volume without distortion, which could easily be introduced, if desired, otherwise...