A young Jim Marshall poses with a drum kit embossed with his own name on the front – foreshadowing the iconic Marshall branding that would appear on his amps years later.
Afflicted by tuberculosis since childhood, James Charles Marshall – the man latterly known as the ‘Father of Loud’ – was encouraged to take up tap dancing at a young age in order to strengthen his bones. It was here that young ‘Jim’ discovered his flair for music – and, with no overt interest in traditional schoolwork, he opted instead to focus on singing and the drums.
By the late ‘30s, Jim was a semi-professional performer – first as an orchestra singer, and then as a drummer with a seven-piece band. He juggled his passion alongside a multitude of jobs, which included work in a scrap metal yard, a biscuit factory, a shoe shop and a canned food production facility.
Come the late ‘40s, he’d grown from drum master to teacher of 65 drum students – including Mick Underwood (who played with Ritchie Blackmore in the Dominators), Micky Waller (Little Richard), and Mitch Mitchell (The Jimi Hendrix Experience). “I used to buy Premier drums from the Selmer shop in Charing Cross Road and sell them to my students,” Jim recalled in the 2019 documentary ‘The Jim Marshall Story’.
"WHETHER IT’S IN THE STUDIO OR LIVE A MARSHALL IS ALWAYS THE FIRST THING I GET IN MY SET UP." – Jim Marshall
Opening of second Marshall shop at 93 Uxbridge Road. L to R Jim Marshall, Screaming Lord Sutch, Terry, Doug Henning (bass player with the Fleerekkers), Pete McClements. Advert to announce opening of Jim Marshall & Son.
On 7 July 1960, after over 20 years of gigging, Jim did just that. With his wife Violet and son Terry, he opened ‘Jim Marshall and Son’ (renamed ‘J & T Marshall’ in 1962) at 76 Uxbridge Road, Hanwell, London. A plaque can be found along the road today, commemorating the Marshall brand’s humble beginnings.
Early advert and Jim Marshall’s Plaque.
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