Vox story Lonnie Donegan at the Dartford factory in the middle about to press keys on the keyboard during a visit in the late 1960s

WHILST Dartford’s most famous exports are perceived as music legends Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards - their fame owes much to a local factory with humble beginnings.

To send a link to this page to a friend, simply enter their email address below.

The message will include the name and email address you gave us when you signed up.

Email address

  Send link

To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in.

For it was a Dartford company that gave The Rolling Stones, the Beatles and virtually every band in the 1960s ‘British Invasion’ a unique sound.

Vox guitars were hand-built for the likes of Jagger and Keith’s Rolling Stones’ bandmate Brian Jones whose ‘Teardrop’ guitar earned it iconic 
status.

It all began when Tom Jennings, a former Royal Engineer, met Dick Denney in 1942 working at Vickers aircraft factory in Crayford. Both amateur musicians, in air raid shelters Jennings would play the accordion and Denney the guitar to keep residents’ spirits up while the Luftwaffe dropped bombs.

The duo shared interest in radio and electronics that would lead to the creation of a brand that stamped itself first on vinyl records by the million, then CDs and now MP3.

Jennings rented premises at 119 Dartford Road a year after WWII ended in 1946, initially to sell accordions, later opening up premises in Erith and Gravel Hill, Bexleyheath. Forming Jennings Musical Instruments in 1950, the first attempts at guitar amplifiers were patchy.

Denney, who had been working on his own guitar amplifier, dropped by the factory in 1957 to give a demonstration of his handy work and was taken on.

Changing their name to Jennings Musical Industries (JMI), the first 15-watt Vox guitar amplifier came out, the AC1/15, snapped up by Cliff Richard and The Shadows in their eagerness to satiate a British audience energised by the new Rock ’n’ Roll phenomenon.

Vic Flick also used an AC15 to produce the evocative James Bond theme tune.

In the summer of 1959 the legendary AC30 was born and is still produced today, though not in the UK.

The first Vox guitars aimed at the professional market — the Phantom Mark I — were hand built at the Dartford factory in 1961 before Jennings started mass production of the Phantom Mark II a couple of years later.

When Beatlemania ignited America in February 1964, demand for Vox amps and guitars sky rocketed.

Owner of Dartford’s Dingo Jacks music shop in Lowfield Street, guitar teacher Richard Smith said: “The AC30 was a beautiful accident. It was head and shoulders above the competition: all the components gelled perfectly together to create this amazing, unique sound.”

A one-off Kensington guitar was hand-built at the Dartford factory for The Beatles. A custom set of electronics was put on the guitar for John Lennon during filming of Hello Goodbye and later by George Harrison for I Am The Walrus.

Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger is the most famous musical connection to Dartford having studied at Dartford Grammar School for Boys. It was his fellow bandmate, the late Brian Jones, who ordered one of the first Phantom Mark III — a white ‘Teardrop’ guitar.

Jones commissioned Vox to build him an electric Appalachian dulcimer at the Dartford factory. He also used his Vox Bijou dulcimer on the Stones’ hit Lady Jane. Not wanting to be left out, Bill Wyman got in on the act, getting a Vox bass named after him in 1966.

Other customers known to have visited the site were Lonnie Donegan, Roy Castle, Cliff Richard, Freddie and the Dreamers, Gerry Marsden, the Dave Clark Five, the Walker Brothers and Tony Hicks of the Hollies.

By 1967 production reached its height, with 150 employees at the Erith site and 30 at Dartford.

Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, the Animals, Adam Faith and Acker Bilk all used Vox amplifiers.

Dr Mike Still, of Dartford Museum said: “The Who had their loan agreement cancelled in 1965 due to Pete Townshend’s habit of smashing his guitars into his amplifiers at the end of each show.

“The Dartford premises expanded over the years and the fame attracted local children, who were often caught trying to raid pieces of old amplifiers and guitars that had been dumped in the yard behind the factory.”

Sadly Jennings, whose business savvy wasn’t the best, sold off much of the company and in September 1967 was sacked; within a week other leading lights of the firm walked out.

Production of Vox amplifiers switched abroad whre it still continues today. Guitar production dropped off completely but not before Datford’s part in the Rock ’n’ Roll revolution was carved into history.

Richard Smith said: “It’s incredible to think that from humble origins they could have had such a major impact on audiences all over the world at a pivotal time in 
music.”