So great was the popularity of the theatre organ in the middle of the 20th Century that large resorts such as Brighton would have an official organist appointed by the council.

Douglas Reeve was awarded the title of Borough Organist during the mid-Forties and held the position into the Eighties.

With its ability to replicate the instruments of a large orchestra, the organ was the most sought after of instruments and most large cinemas would have one of these "magical machines" installed below stage level on a lift.

At interval time it was thrilling to watch it rise up into view, always magnificently lit with many changing colours, with the organist tapping out a stirring tune to set your feet moving.

In cinemas such as the Savoy, Regent, Astoria and Odeon, you could feel the excitement and sense of anticipation as organ-time approached.

Ballrooms often had a theatre organ to accompany the dancers and for five years Douglas Reeve played music for dancing at the Dome when it was used as a dance hall for the many servicemen and women stationed in the area.

Douglas Reeve was indeed a phenomenon, studying at an early age at the organ of St George's Church, Kemp Town, Brighton.

He became a pupil of Terence Casey, the resident organist at the Regent Cinema in Brighton at the age of fourteen.

On completion of his studies, Douglas Reeve played at many cinemas and made his first broadcast for the BBC.

Returning to the Brighton Dome, he inaugurated the record-breaking show Tuesday At The Dome, which continued for some 25 years.

Douglas Reeves' signature tune, Pack Up Your Troubles, introduced the many hundreds of broadcasts he made at the organ of the Dome over the years.

Without doubt, he will always be remembered as Brighton and Hove's Music Man.

-Michael Parker, Brighton