{"id":69207,"date":"2020-09-24T18:03:49","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T22:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=69207"},"modified":"2020-11-17T13:33:07","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T18:33:07","slug":"feature-how-a-little-known-canadian-organist-became-a-radio-sensation-during-wwii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2020\/09\/24\/feature-how-a-little-known-canadian-organist-became-a-radio-sensation-during-wwii\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE | How A Little-Known Canadian Organist Became A Radio Sensation During WWII"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sandy Macpherson played soothing music to help keep people calm during the Second World War.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Sandy_Macpherson\"<\/p>\n

I<\/span>n Britain, during the first weeks of the Second World War, public entertainment venues closed down. The blackout darkened the streets, and people stuck at home turned to radio as never before. They were seeking news but also diversion \u2014 a difficult balance for the BBC to achieve. Many hated what they heard. But the BBC had a seemingly unlikely star: Canadian-born Sandy Macpherson, the BBC\u2019s resident theatre organist.<\/p>\n

In September 1939, a listener wrote, \u201cWe should like to know if you keep Sandy Macpherson chained up in the dungeons of the BBC.\u201d Indeed, at the end of the first month, Macpherson reported that he had been \u201con duty more or less continuously,\u201d\u00a0having broadcast at least 50 times.<\/p>\n

But why? After Britain declared war on Germany on Sept. 1, 1939, the BBC, like the rest of the country, was in emergency mode. It sent its music and entertainment departments outside of London and had to get government clearance for any non-staff entertainers. It shut down its nascent television service and\u00a0reduced radio to a single wavelength<\/a><\/span>. It stopped broadcasting sporting events.<\/p>\n