We began the month of September with the successful completion of the Ohio Organ Crawl which took place from the 15th through the 29th of August, 2007 amidst vast changes for Walnut Hill's Office of Operations. The Walnut Hill website has now reached over 56,000 visitors. There are over 200 pages of content at the site, with new pages being added each month.

Fred Willis, the Founding Father of Walnut Hill, will not be returning to his home in Ridgecrest due to failing health. He has given custody of his vast collection of electronic equipment to the Walnut Hill Productions team for use in the continued promotion of the King of Instruments. We are getting Fred's house in order for the next tenent to follow. This task is expected to take the rest of September and possibly into October to complete.

The Walnut Hill Office of Operations moved to a different location on September 17th, 2007, just next door to the former Fred Willis Residence. The office telephone number remains unchanged, along with all email accounts. This move keeps the office private and out of the main drag, yet close enough to the center of this rapidly growing city to make a differencein the high desert of Southern California.

First, I want to thank Fred Willis, without whom none of this would have ever been possible. Next, I want to thank Mister Todd for believing in me enough to support my operations in his home. I also want to thank Cyrus Roton for all his help during the move. Finally, I wish to thank all the loyal patrons of this fledgeling company who have made Walnut Hill Productions what it is today by visiting our site and supporting our goal of keeping the King of Instruments alive for future generations to enjoy.

God bless each and every one. I can never thank you enough. It is an honor and a priviledge to serve the TPO community.

Richard Mogridge
Webmaster/Executive Producer
Walnut Hill Productions
Ridgecrest, California

Playing the Mighty MidiTzer just keeps getting more fun! I recently posted 38 songs. This new material was recorded live on Dan Rowland's 3/19 Mighty MidiTzer Style 260 Special Virtual Theatre Pipe Organ during the Ohio Organ Crawl. To listen to this new stuff, click on the URL below:

http://www.theatreorgans.com/walnuthill/rowland_miditzer_09.htm

The organ had the new Universal SoundFont from http://prosites-allmanmusic.homestead.com/">Kent Allman loaded. The sound was superb. We used the Creative Recorder in the MidiTzer computer to get the music on the hard drive. It was then transferred to our trusty laptop computer for mastering. SoundForge6 and the Waves Platinum Bundle were used to whip the music into shape.

My pages at Walnut Hill are getting the version 5 facelift. Dan Rowland has ten pages in my section about the wonderful instrument he and his son have built and the house it lives in. Poke around and enjoy!

http://www.theatreorgans.com/walnuthill/player.htm

I am always delighted to find a great musical selection that gets my feet tapping and my adrenalin pumping to play. If one searches the internet for TPO videos, YouTube is at the top of the list for providing great content to a large audience. While searching YouTube's vast collection of TPO goodness, I stumbled across this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=f1FSCXwbDwc

This video, from a gentleman named Willard Pugh, is from a series by Jim Riggs at the Little River Studio 4/24 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ. It is a recreation of a Jesse Crawford arrangement of a Hayden Wood song entitled I Love To Hear You Singing.

You can see the rest of Willard's videos featuring Jim Riggs at the Mighty WurliTzer here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/WillardPugh

This short video is a complete TPO education in a small package. Not only does it show proper fingering, but second touch and good pedal work are also on display as Jim gives this classy old gal a real go. It is a feast for the eyes and ears as well. The song will make you happy whether you study it to learn or just listen to it for pleasure.

You owe it to yourself to save this video to your computer's hard drive. Though the quality of the video is limited due to the way things must be compressed to fit YouTube file submission standards for fast downloads, it is a fine example of how to properly play a TPO to get the most out of it. Note that you do not need the paws of Lugh the Long Handed to play the King of Instruments. Watch Jim's modestly sized hands as he makes it look so easy. However, closely spy the part of his face in the frame and you can see the concentration needed to pull this arrangement off with the precision he delivers.

I bring this clip to your attention because it is the current lesson I am working on. For some time now I have been studying this clip in great detail with hopes of learning this fine peice of music brought to us from one of the true giants in the Land of the King today, Jim Riggs playing Jesse Crawford. Please join me if you are a student of the Mighty Unit Orchestra. Class is in session. Let's go back in time to when things were wonderful... Let's have some fun!

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The Slow Dog's Place On deviantART

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Slow Dog's Place on YouTube!

The Bone Doctor, in conjunction with YouTube, now has a site featuring videos recorded live at the Dorothy Steiner Residence on the wonderful Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ installed at her home in Baltic, Ohio.

There are currently two videos on the page, the first being an original composition entitled Suite in G for TPO. The second video is a rendition of the classic made famous by Patsy Cline entitled The Tennessee Waltz. To listen to and watch these new clips, click here. Enjoy!

The figures below represent the approximate daily hit count for the site since going online on April 2nd of 2004. Counter checks begin around ten in the morning and end around ten in the evening, Pacific Daylight Savings Time. Currently, that total stands at over 56,920 happy campers in the Land of the King!

09/01/2007 - 55,618 09/02/2007 - 55,657 09/03/2007 - 55,707 09/04/2007 - 55.750 09/05/2007 - 55,824 09/06/2007 - 55,869 09/07/2007 - 55,892 09/08/2007 - 55,943 09/09/2007 - 55,989 09/10/2007 - 56,038

09/11/2007 - 56,069 09/12/2007 - 56,109 09/13/2007 - 56,158 09/14/2007 - 56,195 09/15/2007 - 56,243 09/16/2007 - 56,253 09/17/2007 - 56,319 09/18/2007 - 56,358 09/19/2007 - 56,390 09/20/2007 - 56,447

09/21/2007 - 56,512 09/22/2007 - 56,559 09/23/2007 - 56,594 09/24/2007 - 56,631 09/25/2007 - 56,682 09/26/2007 - 56,728 09/27/2007 - 56,775 09/28/2007 - 56,861 09/29/2007 - 56,874 09/30/2007 - 56,922

Fellow Walnut Hill Wall Of Fame member and great friend Dan Rowland called from Akron, Ohio to invite the Bone Doctor over for a two-week stay at his home during the last two weeks of August, 2007. He flew out on the 15th and returned on the 29th.

During this two week long adventure, he played some wonderful instruments as well as documented the events with high resolution pictures and live digital recordings, both audio and video. There were some snags in data aquisition, though. Audio was not obtained at the Civic Theatre, and video was not obtained at all the events due to technical glitches. Live daily reports were not possible due to network issues. However, many nice recordings and pictures were made as well as some videos, and these are in the works to be processed in the days ahead, so stay tuned for those.

Doc stayed at Dan's residence during his travels in Ohio. He completely debugged Dan's new Mighty MidiTzer Style 260 Special VTPO and 39 tracks were recorded on it using the new Universal Virtual Theatre Organ SoundFont from Kent Allman at Allman Music of Saint Petersburg, Florida. Dan's vintage Rodgers 321B analogue electronic theatre organ was checked out but no recordings were made due to ongoing problems with contacts and voicing.

Doc performed his first scheduled live concert on a real Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ, the lovely 3/17 installed at Dorothy Steiner's beautiful home. He also took a tour of the Schantz Organ Company factory and aquired enough resources to do a mini-documentory on how pipe organs are made and the way things work.

He also played Doug Powers' Mighty Walker DTO, the Civic Theatre Mighty WurliTzer, and got to help out during a work session to restore the Mighty WurliTzer at the Masonic Temple in Cleveland. While in that town, he stopped by the home of Don Fedorick to play his Mighty Roland Atelier AT90 Digital Orchestra with Artisan Stop Boxes and TPO voices.

Also of note, Doc got to play the last remaining Kilgen Theatre Pipe Organ at the Canton Palace Theatre. The trip to Worthington to see the Mighty WurliTzer at Worthington High School and another trip to play David Geiger's Mighty WurliTzer, along with the Gray's Armory Mighty WurliTzer, were cancelled due to scheduling and logistics.

The Ohio Organ Crawl ended successfully on the 29th of August when Doc returned safely to Ridgecrest, California, the new home of Walnut Hill Productions, soon to be Inc. We wish to thank Dan Rowland and his family for making all this possible. We also thank Janett for her love and hospitality as they take care of the Good Doctor. We also want to thank all of the folks at the various venues in Ohio who keep these grand beasts going and are generous enough to let us get up close and personal with them for you to enjoy. We also want to thank the members of the Walnut Hill Organ Club for believing in and supporting our valient cause.

And finally, we want to thank all of our loyal patrons (you know who you are), becuase without all those present, Walnut Hill would not be what it is today. Because of your efforts in the Yahoo! Music groups and via websites of your own creation, there are now many new TPO websites. Folks young and old are taking note on a global scale as a result. There is even a new planet-wide Theatre Pipe Organ society, known as the Theatre Organ Society International (TOSI). We fully intend to work together with this new organization in order to give the Mighty Threatre Pipe Organ back some of its former glory in the public eye.

It is both an humbling honor and a great priviledge to live and work in the Land of the King during this rich time in its history so that future generations will get to see, hear and remember the Mighty Movie Palace Organ. Let's all rediscover that happy kid inside each one of us which said, "Gee, Dad. It's a WurliTzer!"

The Walnut Hill Productions Team

• Richard Mogridge - The Control Room
  All about recording the King of Instruments
• Tom Hoehn - Console Up!
  How to play the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organ
• Per Olof Schultz - Skandia WurliTzer
  The last WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ in Sweden
• Russ Ashworth - Mighty MidiTzer
  Playing the Theatre Organ virtualy every day!
• Jim Reid - Hauptwerk
  Martyn Dyde's highly accurate virtual organ from Crumhorn Labs

The Theatre Organ Society International (TOSI) is proud to announce that on Halloween, October 31st at 8:00 PM The Phantom of the Opera will pay a visit to the Palace Theatre in Lake Placid, New York.

Jeff Barker will accompany this rare hand-tinted version of the famous 1925 Lon Chaney classic. The Palace was built in 1926 and had its three manual seven rank Robert-Morton Theatre Pipe Organ installed to entertain village residents in a community that would go on to host two winter Olympic games in 1932 and 1980.

Interest in classic films and in the history of the instrument, helped to create the Adirondack Film Society which regularly sponsors silent film screenings as well as the internationally acclaimed Lake Placid Film Forum. Tickets are $10.00 each with the proceeds going to fund TOSI programs.

Regards,

J A C K Moelmann

The Theatre Organ Society International (TOSI), a new theatre organ organization, is proud to present Col. Jack Moelmann at the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern, NY, September 16th at 2:00 pm. This will be our inaugural event with Jack accompanying the classic Buster Keaton film “The General”. This film was produced in 1927 and is considered one of Keaton's best offerings. In addition to the film, Jack will entertain us with his stirring Tribute to America salute which will conclude the program.

The Lafayette Theatre was built in 1924 and today, entertains audiences for both film and live programs all throughout the year. The theatre's two manual, eleven rank Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ is owned and maintained by the New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS). Installed at The Lafayette in 1992, the instrument, officially known as the Ben Hall Memorial 2/9 Mighty WurliTzer, is played four times a week to enthusiastic audiences. The fifty foot wide silver Lafayette screen makes viewing silent films an extra special event.

The Lafayette and the Mighty WurliTzer have long been an entertaining combination as demonstrated this past July when the American Theatre Organ Society visited the theatre during its 52nd Annual Convention for a silent movie presentation.

Tickets for this historic event will be $10 per seat with proceeds going to fund future TOSI programs. For more information about the Theatre Organ Society International (TOSI) and to join this new exciting group, please visit our main website at:

theatreorgansocietyinternational.com.

Join the North Texas Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society for a celebration of rag time music with acclaimed performers, organist Dave Wickerham and pianist Dick Kroeckel.

It's a toe tappin' tribute to an All-American genre of music played on an All-American instrument, the Mighty Theatre Pipe Organ. Dick Kroeckel is a nationally renowned pianist, playing historic theaters across the country and specializing in rag time music.

Dick is joined by renowned Wisconsin organist, Dave Wickerham, who continually amazes audiences with his speed and dexterity at the console of an original orchestral synthesizer. Mr. Wickerham will play the McKinney Performing Arts Center's Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ with Mr. Kroeckel at a Boston Baby Grand Piano.

Together, the dynamic duo provides an unforgettable evening of lively ragtime classics by Scott Joplin, Joseph Lamb and James Scott. There are other acts planned as well. This is a show not to be missed!

Tickets are $35 for general admission and all proceeds benefit the North Texas Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, a 501.c.3 non-profit organization.

Please call 1-214-544-4630 for tickets and information, or visit us online at

http://www.mckinneyperformingartscenter.org

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Lorin J. Whitney Promoted To Glory

by fellow Walnut Hill Wall of Fame member, Paul Kealy

For those who knew and respected this wonderful friend of the pipe organ and promoter of the organ in society, Lorin J. Whitney passed away on Wednesday, August 26th of 2007, just a few weeks short of his 94th birthday this upcoming September 11.

He is reunited with his devoted wife Aimie who passed away several years ago and his brother Harvey who passed away in 2001.

Together with his children Eugene and Joan and his two grandchildren, we mourn the loss of his presence with us here.

His memorial service will be conducted in Newport Beach, California a week from today, Friday, September 7 at 1PM at St Andrews Presbyterian Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests gifts be made to Far East Broadcasting Company in the honor of Lorin J. Whitney.

Born near Fresno, California, when he moved to the Southland, Lorin embraced and promoted the organ seriously.

He performed live organ selections via special telephone line broadcast live from a Mighty WurliTzer in his home installation in Glendale in a specially featured weekly KHJ Sunday afternoons. (Aimie would laugh about the time her pop-up toaster made an unheralded percussion on the downbeat of a song he was playing).

As a little kid I grew up hearing these broadcasts with Sunday Dinner, never dreaming I would later get to know him.

Lorin was 31 when he bagan with Billy Graham (he didn't want to continue when Graham scheduled endless touring, preferring to stay home as a family man ... He did not like "waking up in a different hotel room every night away from Joan and Gene and is dear Aimie").

He worked, indeed, assisted musically and technically with major broadcasters and recording artists, from Haven of Rest to Jom Dobson, and helped many local churches install pipe organs of their own in local churches.

When tape recording supplanted live broadcasts, he built a recording studio in Glendale, installing a 4 manual Robert Morton of 34 ranks, as well as Steinway and Hammond organs, with a large enough space for full choirs and orchestras and hosted as many as 200 members of the ATOE (LA Theatre Organ Society) meetings in his studio for several years.

He was contemporary to his times. As a devout Christian, he was aware that people liked the sound of theatre organ, as well as classical organ; it wounded him when ultra-"churchy" organists would criticize playing hymns on "that" kind of secular instrument ... or singing "barbershop-style" quartet music in the Haven of Rest Quartet he established in the early days of radio.

But the people loved his style. He wanted music to remain in the heart throughout the week long after Sunday's postlude, and his style accomplished that!

Many top organists of his day recorded sessions for albums on his organ, and as technology increased and he went from 3-track Ampex tape to 4, then 8 and 16 and 24 tracks, his studio, with Tom, Tobe and Frank along with the other engineers who worked there, was a desired place for many recording artists to lay down tracks, as those days many albums comprised tracks recorded in various studios around town.

Lorin understood technical as well as music, was always helpful to guide me in questions. When I built my own recording studio he was always patient to help solve my problems.

When I went to his studio to cut vinyl LPs for "mothers" from my own tape masters on his lathe I was always bumping into folks like Barry White who recorded his Love Unlimited Orchestra albums there, and they respected his concern for the sound his studio produced as well as his supportive attitude.

His organ took second place to major Rogers and Hammersein musicals to Disney to Hanna Barbera, and, being rather short, when I recorded vocal solos to his accompaniment, I would often joy in standing on the "Marni Nixon" riser she used for a better placement with the vocal mic for soundtrack dubbing she often recorded for motion picture actors to sing to.

But I digressssss ... Lorin was an humble man, a family man, and a great advocate of the pipe organ. Whether we are aware of it or not, we have all been touched with something recorded in his studio.

He sold his studio to devote more family time to Aimie's healthcare, and Paul Mickelson aquired his organ, placing it in storage. Paul and I Often spoke of acquiring it "when the time was right," but it never seemed to be "right." I was heartsick a few years ago to hear of Paul's untimely death in France and, investigating the fate of the organ in storage, discovered it had been broken up, scattered and would never sing again. But it was not the only organ to suffer so.

It broke my heart to discover such a loss of this organ in society (since I, myself, had turned my back and quietly walked away from the organ), and that loss prompted me to dedicate my efforts since then to do what I can to help restore that marvelous sound to society.

Before his passing, Lorin suffered a stroke, and talking to him on the phone, I wept to realize time had taken a toll and still does ... He was thrilled to be playing his Rodgedrs 321 Trio as long as he could, and even at 88, he told me that he has as many years as a Steinway has keys. At that age, he was still playing weddings and concert work.

Just as I have been transferring his Vinyl LP albums we had recorded on his 4/34 Robert Morton in his studio to digital media before the sound is forever lost, the sound still gives me a thrill to hear if as if for the first time ever.

Humble and gracious, and dedicated to bringing quality organ music to his generation - may his example inspire us likewise to serve the King of Instruments today.

Thank you, Lorin Whitney, for your wonderful legacy. May we be as faithful as your model has exemplified!

Paul Kealy

Walnut Hill Productions is still in somewhat of a bind from a business perspective. Household and personal expenses are taking a hefty slice out of the money Doc gets, as he is disabled and on a fixed and limited income during a time of uncertainity as to where he will eventually end up residing. Replacing his personal property and the musical equipment lost after the relocation from Tennessee early in 2007, along with aquiring a new residence due to Fred Willis' failing health, will be very expensive.

Most of the company's original equipment was left in Tennessee due to the high cost of shipping. These items must eventually be replaced. Below is a partial listing of the items we need for the studio in order to get back to the recording sessions Doc would like to complete, including albums from the Sub Urban Cowboys and Doc at the Mighty MidiTzer.

Doc and Tom Hoehn have created a Pay Pal account for easily and securely receiving contributions from all who want to see this relocation take place, which will allow Walnut Hill to make major strides forward for the King of Instruments.

Below is a listing of those who have genorously contributed funds and items to date:

Name Tom Hoehn Gareth Howells Jim Reid Cyrus Roton William Spalding Larry Chamberlin Kent Allman Fred Willis Joseph Loewy Ronald Shreve Dan Rowland Eleanor Winnemore Earl Hurty Edward Burnett

Amount $ 50.00 $ 50.00 $300.00 $500.00 $100.00 $100.00 $100.00 $200.00 $ 50.00 $ 25.00 $ 50.00 $100.00 $ 35.00 $ 50.00

Method PayPal PayPal PayPal Check PayPal Check PayPal PayPal PayPal PayPal PayPal Check Check PayPal

Name Bob Upward Paul Kealy

Item Zoom H4 Conn 650

Description Recorder Organ

These most kind and generous folks have earned memberships in the Walnut Hill Organ Club and will be notified of their membership status when the club goes official. We have decided to push forward with the organization while awaiting an ATOS charter. Club members will receive printed certificates and membership cards, plus access to the WHOC online community via direct email notifications. This is just a small token of appreciation for all who are making the Walnut Hill website possible and freely available for the world to enjoy.

Funds received to date: $1,710.00

There are other pledges pending. Anyone can contribute as much or as little as they see fit by clicking the "Make a Donation" button above. You can also send checks via standard mail to the following address, should you choose to not use the Pay Pal account. Please make checks payable to Richard Mogridge, with the words "Relocation Fund" in the memo line. The address is:

If you have questions about the relocation fund, you can call the Bone Doctor at the Walnut Hill Office of Operations to learn more.

That telephone number is 1-727-230-2610.

All contributors will get recognized at the site should they choose, or they can remain anonymous, simply by letting the Bone Doctor know their preferences via email.

This is a major move forward for Walnut Hill Productions, one of the fastest growing TPO sites on the internet. Become a part of history by making your donation today. Please help us to continue the work we are doing as we continue to grow, adding new features and more services such as broadcasting audio and video for all to enjoy. You'll be glad you did.

We are thanking you in advance for your generosity and support in this grand endevour.

God bless, and happy playing.

The Bone Doctor
Member ATOS/President WHOC
House Organist and Webmaster
Walnut Hill Productions

"It's all about the King of Instruments!"

The stop sweep of the 2/9 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ installed at the Pinellas Park Auditorium in Pinellas Park, Florida.