Paramount Bristol’s “Mighty Wurlitzer” to star in June 6 concert

BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — When patrons come to Paramount Bristol to see a show with singers and actors gracing the stage, most don’t realize the longest-reigning star in the building stands on alert and ready to perform just beneath the stage’s floor.

Her name – Miss Marlene.

“I call it the Mighty Wurlitzer Experience,” said organist Rex Ward.

For 30 years, he’s played the Wurlitzer Theater organ at Paramount Bristol, which he thinks is one of only 20 still in use across the United States.

The Paramount Wurlitzer is the second organ to be used in the theater. The first was removed in the 1950’s. Photo: Paramount Bristol

“The organ was built in 1932, and therefore she is 90 years old,” he said.

“Miss Marlene” as some call her is The Paramount’s second organ. The first accompanied silent movies and vaudeville shows. It was dismantled when movies started to include sound. Miss Marlene’s first home was in a theater in Charlottesville, Virginia. After narrowly escaping a fire, she was moved to Elon College where the organ remained until the fall of 1989, when the Paramount was in the early days of its restoration.

Ward heard about the Wurlitzer and, along with Paramount Board member Mary Beth Rainero and a team of volunteers, brought the organ to downtown Bristol.

Rex Ward practices for an upcoming performance on the stage of Paramount Bristol. “It’s preservation of an art form that is probably not going to exist many more years.”

After spending years in storage, The Wurlitzer was refurbished and installed in The Paramount. On April 26, 1991, an audience stood as, for the first time in decades, the sounds of a Wurlitzer organ filled the building with a version of The National Anthem.

Through the years, Ward said he’s been amazed by the audience reaction when the sounds of the Wurlitzer swell through the building.

“For many, it triggers immediate memories,” he said. “It’s preservation of an art form that is probably not going to exist many more years.”

Ward says many think the sounds they hear are digitally created. But The Mighty Wurlitzer is no ordinary keyboard.

Each key, stop and pedal floods air into nearly 2000 pipes and activates real instruments.

Behind The Paramount’s ornate interior hides thousands of pieces and parts, all controlled by the organist on the Wurlitzer bench.

“It was invented to reproduce the sounds of every sound in an orchestra,” Ward said. “It has all the sounds of the orchestra that can be played by one man.”

For every hour on stage, Rex Ward says he spends hundreds of hours practicing – fully aware of the fine line between a successful performance and a less-than-perfect production. “It has all the sounds of the orchestra that can be played by one man, and that’s a big responsibility.” Photo: Paramount Bristol

While he’s a devoted fan of the rare musical instrument, Ward is realistic. He knows that The Paramount’s Wurlitzer may not appeal to everyone in 2023.