A Visit To Pipe Organ Paradise

The Featured Organ for the Month of September 2005 is the 3/12 Grande Page Theatre Pipe Organ belonging to Johnnie June Carter, owner of Pipe Organ Paradise. Her residence, where this rare and magnificent Theatre Pipe Organ is installed, is located eight miles east of Sun City Center, near Wimauma, Florida.

Johnnie June Carter is the Vice President of the Central Florida Theatre Organ Society, a proud chapter of the ATOS, responsible for the upkeep and promotion of instruments in the area such as the 3/14 Mighty WurliTzer Theatre Pipe Organ installed at the Tampa Theatre.

Here, we see the console of this majestic instrument. This is one of only a few Page Theatre Pipe Organs remaining in the entire world. The three manual Grande Page Theatre Pipe Organs were very rare, and this one is in nearly perfect condition. It has been modernized to include a solid state relay and MIDI control for a Yamaha Studio Acoustic Piano equipped with a Yamaha Disclavier Module and other outboard MIDI gear.

Here, we see the Hammond B3 and Leslie speaker cabinet sitting to the right of the 3/12 Grande Page Theatre Pipe Organ console. This lovely vintage Tonewheel Organ is the one Johnnie played during the live shows she did early in her career as an organist.