The Marshall Story
There’s no denying the Marshall sound, whether it’s a Plexi, JCM800, JVM, Silver Jubilee, Blues Breaker or on of their other fabled models, the Marshall amp has rightfully cemented its place as one of the most beloved amplifiers in history. Whether you’re pairing it with a humbucking Gibson or the single coils of a Stratocaster or Telecaster it has a growl that’s hard to beat!
Marshall has been celebrated by some of the world’s greatest bands and musicians including: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Slash, Oasis, Muse, Gorillaz and Bring Me The Horizon. We can be seen on tour with artists like Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar and Lana Del Rey. However, none of this would be possible without founder and revolutionary, Jim Marshall OBE and his son Terry.
Jim was born in London on 29 July 1923 and as a child he suffered with tubercular bones which meant that he spent much of his early years hospitalised to the age of 13. At his father’s suggestion he took up tap dancing to strengthen the bones in his legs and he soon discovered that he had a flair for music. Subsequently Jim took up the drums and by the late 1930’s he was playing semi-professionally, before going onto to teach.
After over 20 years gigging on the road on 7 July 1960, Jim opened a family run music store with his wife Violet and son Terry called ‘Jim Marshall and Son’, at 76 Uxbridge Road, Hanwell, London. Today you will find a plaque on the pavement outside to celebrate our humble beginnings.
The store sold a variety of musical instruments and attracted many young emerging talents, such as Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore, John Entwistle and Big Jim Sullivan, who were friends of Terry and knew the music store through Jim’s drum students, such as Keith Moon.