The EMI memorial, Cherry Lane Cemetery, which is both a grave marker and commemorative stone for 37 workers from The Gramophone Company, Blyth Road, Hayes killed when a V1 flying-bomb hit a factory surface air-raid shelter on 7 July 1944. Restored by EMI Archive Trust in 1994 by and again in 2009.
Unique is an overused word but if there was a day that changed popular music forever, July 6, 1957 was that day! By David Hughes Not that anyone knew it at the time, or probably for the next five or six years. In the late 1950’s British music world, skiffle was King. Skiffle was a… Read more »
A “doyen” is defined as a senior member of an establishment and, if discography is – or discographers are – an establishment, then Alan Kelly who died in December 2015 was certainly a doyen of discographers. Alan was born in Girvan on the Clyde in Scotland. He took his MA at Glasgow in 1948 and… Read more »
On 3rd February the EMI Archive Trust together with TV production company 7 Wonder hosted a very special event for former EMI employees in our historic home of Hayes, now being redeveloped by U&I as The Old Vinyl Factory. 7 Wonder are producing a major BBC broadcast and online project for 2016, ‘The People’s History… Read more »
THE great, great, great grandson of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Isambard Thomas meets Simon Blumlein, son of Alan Blumlein the inventor of stereo. The inventor’s son, Simon Blumlein, spoke with Mr Thomas during his visit about their respective ancestors’ historical link to Great Western Railways, EMI and Hayes. With thanks to Isambard Thomas and Simon Blumlein.… Read more »
EMI are inviting former employees at the Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, to come back and share their memories of the iconic site. The factory was a major employer for the town and produced records by some of the world’s best-known artists, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Cliff Richard. The reunion will take… Read more »
I had that weird feeling when I came across this crowd shot whilst scanning Don McLean images for Universal (Music Group) I remembered going to this free concert at Hyde Park (though I didn’t remember that it was May 1975, or that I’d recently turned 17). I thought ‘wouldn’t it be funny if I could… Read more »
New BBC Radio 4 series starts Monday 23rd – Friday 27th November 2015 each day at 1.45 pm (except Wednesday 25th at 3.45pm) This programme will be available shortly after broadcast. Cerys Matthews and Tristram Penna use their music industry careers to examine the legacy and stories behind some of the first Gramophone records recorded in Britain from… Read more »
“Our famous, Jewish orchestra, you remember, four violins, a flute and a double bass” (Gayev in Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, 1904) Renair records are proud to announce the fourth of their series of issues exploring the story of Jewish recorded music. Produced by Julian Futter and with a 40 page booklet written by the… Read more »
Clip from the first ever piece of film footage shot in stereo, ‘Trains At Hayes’, produced by prolific engineer and innovator Alan Dower Blumlein, the inventor of stereo. This film was shot from a window in the EMI offices in Hayes, West London in 1935 onto the local train station to test this new technology… Read more »