Many of us remember the great, old Paramount movie theatre which used to sit on Church Street just down from Eighth Avenue and which featured the giant organ rising on hydraulic lifts up to stage level between shows, or to accompany the audience in singing to the bouncing ball while showing the song lyrics on the screen.

The Paramount Theatre was built in 1930 with its $50,000, three-manual Wurlitzer console installed. I understand that the first organist hired to play the organ was a man who went by the showmanship name of “C. Sharp Minor.” He was hired to play for the first four weeks of the theatre’s showings in 1930. He was followed by an organist named Jack Thurston.

Also, very early the organ was played by Mary Elizabeth Hicks with whom I worked when I was a musician at WLAC radio station in Nashville in the 1940’s. Mary Liz was the staff pianist and organist at WLAC radio for 28 years.

Another organist who played at the Paramount was Leon Cole. One of the last organists to play there was Bob Luck.

The theatre was sold in 1978 to the Martin Theatre chain. The old theatre was torn down in the 1980’s. Many Nashvillians still hold fond memories of that old show palace.

E. D. Thompson can be contacted at thompsonia2017 @gmail.com