The Dome organ in Brighton will always be associated with one man, Douglas Reeve, who played it for more than 50 years.

Reeve was born in the Lanes in 1918 and soon showed a rare talent for music. He was given piano tuition and soon moved on to the organ.

When still only 14, he was appointed as assistant to the organist at the Savoy cinema at the foot of East Street. He also played at the Regent in Queen’s Road.

Reeve was offered a job by County Cinemas and toured Britain as the Wonder Boy Organist. Later aged 18 he supported variety acts at cinemas in Golders Green, North London, and also performed some solos.

Reeve soon accompanied well known performers such as Leslie Hutchinson (always known as Hutch), Hughie Green, Nellie Wallace, Flotsam and Jetsam and the bandleader Joe Loss.

When the Second World War broke out, he became a manager for County Cinemas before joining the Army in 1940. In the same year he married the singer Joyce Jackson.

Reeve was invalided out of the Army in 1941 and showed an interest in the fine new organ which had been installed at the Dome in 1936 to replace the original 1850 organ.

The famous concert venue was being used as a Forces‘dance hall and Reeve suggested providing organ music. The idea was so successful that he was quickly made borough organist and held that position for half a century.

Reeve consistently filled the Dome with his concerts called Pack up Your Troubles after his theme tune and was the star of the weekly variety shows called Tuesday at the Dome. They notched up 1,600 performances and Reeve found his name in the Guinness Book of Records as a result.

After the war he was appointed as manager of the Dome and neighbouring Corn Exchange. In 1977 he was made assistant director of the resort and conference department.

But he was far happier making music and returned two years later to that full time with relief. He became president of the Cinema Organ Society.

Reeve gained an international reputation for his lively, rhythmic style of organ playing and proved popular with albums including one called Brighton Brassy.

He started broadcasting aged 18 on the BBC concert organ and was an immediate hit. He did a series of broadcasts on Sunday mornings on the Light Programme and later for Radio 2.

Locally he became known as an excellent after dinner speaker and often made jokes about his long he had been making music. He also had an organ installed at his home.

Not much would worry Reeve when on his beloved organ at the Dome. He often ignored air raids and once he even kept playing when a bomb landed in the nearby Pavilion Gardens during the war.

Reeve died in 1999 aged 81 leaving one daughter, his wife having died in 1982. He would have been pleased that as part of the major restoration of the Dome, the organ was restored.