About MJQ

The name MJQ is a homage to the 50’s jazz quartet that was a favourite of Malcolm and older brother John Jackson growing up in Rickmansworth, where their father, the broadcaster Jack Jackson created the UK’s first ever professional home studio for the purpose of preparing the radio programmes that would make him a household name.

The former trumpeter and bandleader had started out on the BBC and then Radio Luxembourg playing the new music from America. Being the first DJ to have fun on the radio, his pioneering use of live samples and funny commentary was hugely popular and eventually the BBC gave him a slot on the Light Programme.

With 12 million listeners every Saturday afternoon, a single play of a record on Jack Jackson’s Record Round Up would result in over 250,000 units sold by the following Monday lunchtime. His show was a radio phenomenon that inspired the next generation of DJs including Kenny Everett, John Peel and Bob Harris.

Groundbreaking as it was, Jack’s broadcasting style was often at odds with the established way of doing things at the BBC and to him they were like an overbearing aunt. ‘Aunty’ became Jack’s nickname for the Beeb and the term is still used to this day.

After Jack moved to Tenerife (sending in his taped show to the BBC by plane) his two sons ran the studio commercially and throughout the 70s and 80s Jackson Studios became synonymous with rock and punk bands, particularly Motorhead’s Ace of Spades, engineered by Vic Maile.

A lot of obscure bands recorded at Jackson Studios (“Gay Bikers On Acid” – and their female counterparts “Lesbian Dopeheads on Mopeds” – are fondly remembered). There were some great musicians too: Elton John (known then as Reg Dwight), Dr. Feelgood, The Inmates, Joe Strummer, Girlschool, UFO, Eddie & The Hotrods and Tom Robinson of 2468 Motorway.

Over 100 albums were produced, some of which were published under in-house labels Jackson Music and Ad-Rhythm Records. MJ studied with engineers such as Keith Grant, Adrian Kerridge, John Timperley, Bob Auger, Bill Price and Joe Meek.

John and Malcolm fell into the role of studio broker in 1969 when Barry Gray of Thunderbirds fame asked for help clearing out his studio before moving abroad.

They started the London Studio Exchange in Primrose Hill, handling some of the industry’s biggest studio equipment auctions including Trident, De Lane Lea, CBS Soho and the “Sale of the Century” at Abbey Road Studios; an association that has continued for 40 years.

The music business charity DEAF (Distinguished Audio Engineers Federation) was co-founded by Malcolm and associated engineers and their hell-raising charity galas raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for children with hearing difficulties.

The Jacksons teamed with the Chiltern Open Air Museum in a campaign to rebuild the studios as a community cafe, recording studio and event space for the community and to educate and inspire young people with a working history of the studios.

MJQ is handling the sale of equipment from BBC Maida Vale Studios prior to its official handover to its new owners.

Rhodes Live London Ten87, which took place on May 15 can be viewed here.