Michael Wooldridge (Profile)

Michael is often heard on BBC Radio 2’s ‘The Organist Entertains’ and also broadcast to five-million listeners on ‘Steve Wright In The Afternoon’ as a part of the special 2Day celebrations. He was honoured to play the wonderful five-manual Compton theatre organ in the Odeon, Leicester Square, for a film premiere in the presence of H.R.H. Prince Charles, and thrilled to play piano with the re-formed Mantovani Orchestra for a sell-out concert in Bournemouth’s Pavilion Theatre.

One of England’s top electronic and theatre organists, Michael won the A.T.O.S. Young Theatre Organist of the Year Competition in 1980 and, in 1984, was honoured by the C.O.S. with their prestigious Ian Sutherland Award. He has gone on to regularly give concerts throughout the U.K. and has made playing tours of Holland, Germany, Switzerland and Australia. He has worked as a celebrity concert artiste and sales demonstrator for Yamaha, Hammond and Wersi organs.

Playing keyboards with The Los Palmas 6, the leading Madness tribute band, took him to Ireland and Dubai! He has recently spent a year playing with leading Shadows tribute band, The Fabulous Shadows, recreating all of the classic hits, including Apache, Wonderful Land and the Guitar Tango and performing Cliff and the Shadows nights along with Jimmy Jemain, who has been voted UK’s number one tribute artiste (from 33,000 acts) by the Agents’ Association of Great Britain.

Michael feels extremely privileged to work with many of the stars he grew up admiring on television, including Supersonic Syd Little, Crackerjack and Good Morning Sunday’s Don Maclean, stars of the Black and White Minstrel Show, pianist Bobby Crush and, from Ireland, the hilarious Jimmy Cricket and Eurovision Song Contest winner, Dana. He has worked in cabaret with master magician, Paul Daniels and, to a crowd of over 2,000 caravaners, with his superbly talented son, Martin Daniels.

‘In the pit’ Michael has played for over 30 different musicals including Blitz, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Guys and Dolls, Annie, Half a Sixpence, Kismet, Call Me Madam, As Happy As A Sandbag, Oklahoma, The Boy Friend and The Wizard of Oz, plus many popular pantomimes. He has worked as Musical Director and Producer for many summer seasons in Eastbourne, Bournemouth, Hunstanton, Blackpool and Clacton.

A great lover of swing music, Michael enjoys performing gentle jazz, either solo or with other musicians, and also has a classic Hammond organ trio, The ‘Organ’isation, which can enlarge when required to incorporate extra musicians and singers.

Michael also plays for dances, corporate events and private functions, and has worked at many venues as a cocktail pianist, including London’s Savoy Hotel. When not on tour, Michael gives private music lessons, is Principal Tutor to the Rye Wurlitzer Academy and spent three years as Electronic Organ Instructor at the University of Sussex. He also plays the classical organ for church services and weddings.