Leonard MacClain (September 8, 1899,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

– September 1967, Devault, Pennsylvania) was an American

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical inst ...

and composer who was prominent as an

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

in the Philadelphia area. He gained international exposure through his recordings for Epic Records.Masters, John. "Christmas Record Avalanche", ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' (Melbourne, Australia), December 18, 1957, p. 15.Fracht, J. Albert. "Records in Review", ''The News and Courier'' (Charleston, SC), October 20, 1957, p. 15-C.

Biography

MacClain's career as a

theatre organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements ...

ist for

silent movies A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

started at the Jefferson Theatre, when the regular organist there could not appear on account of inclement weather. In 1919 he began playing at the Fifty-Sixth Street Theater. He became the premiere theatre organist in the Philadelphia area for decades, earning the nickname “Melody Mac”. MacClain was also popular on radio, where he had his own show. In 1935 he debuted an instrument called the “Photona” on the CBS Radio network. The instrument was of two manuals, each manual including six octaves, and had foot controls for volume and tremolo. By 1950 he was recording for Musicart Records.'' Billboard'', January 21, 1950, p. 43. The late 1950s and early 1960s were the peak of MacClain’s exposure, as he signed a recording contract with Epic Records, where he recorded the

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

organ in the Tower Theatre located in

Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a home rule township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The township borders Philadelphia, the nation's sixth most populous city as of 2020 with 1.6 million residents. As of the 2020 cen ...

.''Billboard'', December 1, 1956 p. 22. During this time, he made numerous concert appearances,'' Reading (Pennsylvania) Eagle'', September 17, 1961, p. 45. often in conjunction with the American Association of Theater Organ Enthusiasts. Highlights included being named convention organist for the Forty-Seventh Annual Rotary Convention in 1956, and as guest soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by

Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with ...

playing “

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.” During this time he lived in

Ocean City, New Jersey Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the principal city of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Cape May County and is part of the Philadelphia- Wilmington- Camden, ...

, with his wife, Dorothy.''Reading Eagle'', "Organists Guests at Dix Residence", July 4, 1958, p. 15. In 1963, McClain traveled to Baltimore, Buffalo, Rochester and Philadelphia to record organs in four theatres scheduled for demolition and to California to record at the Lorin Whitney Studios in Glendale. These sessions were released on the Ralbar Records label. By 1966 health issues forced him to cancel appearances. He died in 1967.

Playing style and legacy

His playing was described as “forthright” and “sensible”, yet he was also noted for his

improvisational Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

skills. He was said to be able to play any song he had heard from memory, making up the chords and accompaniment as he went along. On his radio show, he offered a prize to any listener who could stump him with a song, but was rarely bested. He was reviewed by Billboard as “outstanding.” MacClain was sought after as a teacher of his instrument. Students included

Dennis James Dennis James (born Demie James Sposa, August 24, 1917 – June 3, 1997) was an American television personality, philanthropist, and commercial spokesman. Until 1976, he had appeared on TV more times and for a longer period than any other telev ...

, who at the age of 16 was sent by MacClain to replace him in a Detroit concert when the organist suffered a

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, Dick Smith, Shirley Hannum Keither, and Barbara Fesmire.Atlantic City Convention Hall Organ Society, Inc., “Beauty and the Beast” Grand Ophicleide, Issue 28, Summer 2005, p. 7.

Partial list of compositions

“Days Without You are Endless” “Smile Darn Ya Smile” “Where You Are Concerned”

Selected discography

Albums

*Choice Christmas Carols (Valdoray VLD-101-L) 10"Lp (1952) *Theater Organ in Hi-Fi (Epic LN-3273)(1956) *Joy to the World (Epic LN-3283) (1956) * Operetta for the Theatre Organ (Epic LN-3372) (1957) *More Theater Organ in Hi-Fi (Epic LN-3655) (1960)''High Fidelity'', Volume 10, p. 92. *Theatre Organ After Dark (Epic LN-3697)(1960) (Re-released as Columbia Special Products EPSP-569) *Leonard MacClain's Golden Years of Theatre Organ (1963) Ralbar Records SDLP6300) 2 disc set *Leonard MacClain Plays For Theatre Organ Lovers (Ralbar Records SOLP 6301) *Leonard MacClain Plays Baltimore's Fabulous Stanton Theatre Organ (Ralbar Records SOLP 6302) *25th Anniversary Release in Memory of Leonard MacClain—recorded 1963 (1992) Vantage Records VCD-6303

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macclain, Leonard 1899 births 1967 deaths American organists American male organists Theatre organists Epic Records artists Musicians from Philadelphia Musicians from New Jersey People from Ocean City, New Jersey 20th-century American musicians 20th-century organists 20th-century American male musicians