"Musicland", the Jennings shop at 88 Broadway, Bexleyheath, began life not as a shop at all but the JMI "Studio of Music", in effect a sort of music school. Quite when Tom took the premises on is not certain, but activities were certainly in full swing by early 1959. So far as one can tell the studio/school lasted around 18 months. In mid 1960 the decision was taken to turn Number 88 into a shop. The Jennings catalogue had begun to grow exponentially. Guitars and amplifiers were the order of the day. For a couple of months, Number 88 became "Paul's Music Studio" (Paul was Tom's son), to be superceded in fairly short order by "Musicland". A "Jennings" shop was not really an option principally because there were two other "Jennings" already on Broadway, one the department store, the other a toy shop close to Number 88. A further consideration one suspects may have been that a separate identity was actually a desirable thing, especially where advertising and promotions were concerned. Indeed, few of the magazine adverts issued in the name of "Musicland", 1960 to 1964, mention Jennings or JMI at all, simply "VOX" - the name that really mattered. In these Number 88 might have seemed to be little more than another independent music shop. But it had all been planned well. A trade mark for the name was for by Tom in late 1961 and approved in November '63 - an average delay in the early 1960s.

At any rate, from 1961 "Musicland" became the "local" JMI shop - handy for those who did not want to travel into the West End, and a means also of relieving the burden of dealing with enquiries and sales at 115 Dartford Road, though these last evidently continued in reasonable numbers through to 1968. "Musicland" also had, it should be said, its own repairman - a further burden relieved or at least lessened.

From time to time, surplus or obsolete stock was sold off at a discount in Bexleyheath - see the sale of accordions signalled in December 1960 further below.

Some first hand reports of the shop, a favourite haunt of many local teenagers, to follow.

Trade mark application, 24th October, 1961.

Paul Jennings, Tom's son and manager of "Musicland", at the Russell Hotel Trade Fair, late August 1963. The caption was originally printed to the picture's left.

Ordnance Survey map of Bexleyheath, early 1960s. The clock tower is referenced in two of the ads below.

No. 88 Broadway in the 1970s, then "TW Records". Picture from Bexley Archives.

1959

Below, local Dartford newspapers, the first adverts for the Studio of Music. Towards the end of the year, the emphasis became childrens' musical education / training. Note that a bus was provided to pick up participants (and presumably carry them home afterwards).

February 1959.

May 1959.

November 1959.

1960

By mid 1960, the "Studio of Music" had become "Paul's Music Studio". Paul was Tom Jennings's son. The advert immediately below is the earliest firmly dated mention (so far) of the Vox AC30/6. Gradually, hopwever, "Paul's Music Studio" gave way to "Musicland", the first instance of the new name being in September 1960.

July 1960.

August 1960. Note that the figures at the head of the ad are the same as those used in February 1959.

September 1960. This at present is the earliest dated instance of the use of "Musicland".

December 1960.

1961

From late 1960, 88 Broadway seems consistently to have been known as "Musicland". So far no other formal name has emerged in later sources. The three-fold brochure below was produced in at least two versions for the shop. A third (possibly in company with others) was a straight JMI issue.

The roster of amplifiers listed above the image of the AC2 in this version of the brochure ends with the AC30/4. A later version (printing) introduced mention of the AC30/6.

The JMI derivative of the brochure on top of an AC30 in a shot taken at the St Pancras Guitar Rally, April 1961 - the picture has been inverted. Also visible, a pile of folded flyers. Thanks to Bob Valentine, who features in the pic playing guitar alongside Dick Denney on pedal steel.

1962

In late 1961, Tom moved advertising away from music magazines to the small ads of the popular press - a far larger audience, and a concentration on budget models. These ads were generally placed in Spring and early summer and in the months leading up to Christmas - in other words shortly before major school holidays.

Wider ranges of equipment continued to be listed in the adverts for the Jennings shop placed in the popular music press by Tom and John Williment, the Sales Manager at that time.

Four different species of "Musicland" ads, October 1961 to December 1962. The first has guitars only. The second, to its right, has one amplifier at 19 guineas (the Vox AC4). The other two (left to right) introduce further guitars. The Pacifica had long been available (first demonstrated publicly in late 1960).

Below, a digest of the items offered by "Musicland" in December 1962. Note the very early mention of "Vox Transistor Organs" - doubtless the Continental.

December 1962

1963 and 1964

In many ways, these were bumper years for "Musicland" promotions. Large numbers of catalogue and brochure packs were sent out by JMI in the shop's name.

There was a pricelist (with hire purchase prices); hire purchase info and forms; the "Precision in Sound" catalogue (with Hank Marvin and the Shadows on the front); a "Vox People" fold-out; and in 1964 an update to the pricelist. These were often (though not always) sent out in a printed envelope.

In addition, a series of ads, albeit small, were placed in the TV Times and Radio Times - every few weeks. Occasional ads were also run in "Melody Maker" magazine.

A full "Musicland" send out, 1964. Left to right: Hire Purchase / Order Form; Updates to the Price List; Price List of late 1963; the "Vox People" brochure; fold-out "Precision in Sound" catalogue of late 1963.

1964 - the front page of Hire Purchase / Order Form, its preamble signed by "Paul Raymond", the nom de plume of Paul Jennings, and the sheet with updates to the pricelist of late 1963.

Below, a similar send out to the one above, this complete with its envelope (postmarked 19th February 1964) and the Stamped Addressed Envelope for the recipient's order. Later envelopes had the silhouette of the "Jumping Beatles" rather than The Shadows:

"Radio Times", March 1964.

Thanks to Colin, below, his father's "Musicland" pricelist of September 1964 and the catalogue it accompanied, the newspaper-format "Vox: Precision in Sound" catalogue. The two were drawn up in tandem after the Russell Hotel Trade Fair of late August 1964.

"Musicland" pricelist and Vox catalogue of September 1964.

1967 to 1968

Below, entries for the shop in the "Music Trade Directory and Guide" for 1966/1967 and 1968/1969. In 1966 the shop was still run by Paul Jennings, Tom's son. The letter designations in the entry - "M", "OR", and so on - indicate that "Musicland" sold a broad range of instruments, organs, orchestrations (sheet music), electrical goods, records, PA equipment, and undertook repairs.

Entry for the 1966/67 volume supplied by Jennings to the editors of the Directory by April 1966.

In the edition issued for 1968/1969 things had changed. William (Bill) Doe was in charge, and the range of goods less extensive - a broad range of instruments, electronic organs, and PA Equipment. No more records, sheet music, and electrical goods.

Bill Doe had been manager of the Jennings shop on Charing Cross Road (from some point in early 1965 through to January 1967) - effectively Reg Clark's successor. When Tom decided to sell number 100 to the Macaris, Bill was transferred to "Musicland", along with Charlie Cobbett, who had been Artists' Liaison Officer up to that point, and Dave Roberts, who was the guitar tutor at Charing Cross Road and principal Vox demonstrator at trade shows. Charlie did the repairs of guitars and amplifiers at "Musicland". Paul Jennings stepped back from front-line JMI activities.

Syd Wedeles, who had looked after the repairs of equipment brought into the Charing Cross Road shop (from 1965-1967), left and set up in business for himself (having bought a huge number of components and spares from JMI).

It is not clear at present what prompted Tom to sell 100 Charing Cross Road - possibly a need to cut costs. The decline in profitability of Royston Industries, the company that owned JMI, had already been signalled publicly in late 1966. More to follow soon.

Entry for the 1968/69 volume supplied by Jennings to the editors of the Directory by April 1968. At the end of April 1968 JMI ceased trading.

Sheet Music

Sheet music was incredibly popular in the 1960s; most bands that issued records also had deals with publishers, many of these last based in "Tin Pan Alley" (Denmark Street, just a little way up from the Jennings shop on Charing Cross Road).

So far no sheets have come to light with "Musicland" stamps. However, the shop evidently promoted The Shadows strongly in 1963 and 1964 - as one might expect given the prominence of the band in the JMI catalogues and flyers of the time. Below, a detail from the "Musicland" pricelist of late 1963: "The Shadows Guitar Tutor"; and three of The Shadows' sheet music collections (with photos).

Jennings offered the "Guitar Tutor" through to early 1967. It was evidently a good seller, a second edition (with updated adverts) following fairly hard on the heels of the first.

Detail from the Musicland pricelist, late 1963.

The first edition of the Tutor. Both had the same cover, Vox Phantom prominent. Inside, drawings of the Phantom were used to illustrate various elements of the electric guitar.

The first three collections of "The Shadows Album of Guitar Favourites".