In addition to the local history of Marlow and its residents, Michael Eagleton’s other main passion was music.

Michael began his working life in industry and after several years travelling every working-day to Flexello Castors in Slough, in the 1970s he began to consider other options. Seeing a new development of retail units taking shape in Spittall St, on the corner with Dean St, the idea came to him to establish a music shop there. After discussing this with his wife Ann, the decision was made to do just that.

They took a lease on No.27 Spittall St, and Michael set about fitting out the ground floor as a record shop, doing most of this work and the interior decoration himself. This shop was formally opened at 9.00am on Saturday, October 2, 1976, with the invitation to the residents of Marlow ‘Michael and Ann Eagleton invite you to visit Chiltern Sound, Marlow’s new Record and Audio Centre’. The first 150 customers spending 75p or more were to receive a free copy of the ‘sensational Q.E.2 Stereo LP’.

It was not long before the third floor had been turned into a Stereo Demonstration Studio, where potential customers could assess the merits of different sound systems.

A little later, people passing the shop were attracted by the appearance of a large phonograph attached above the shop-front. This signalled a further development in the shop, Michael had established the ‘Chiltern Sound Phonograph Museum’ on the first floor. For many years he had been collecting antique sound equipment to form this museum, ‘100 Years of Recorded Sound’.

After a few years Michael established the Chiltern Sound Records label, with the intention of breaking through to the jazz-music market by releasing only 12-inch singles to retail at only 99p. The first release was Lol Coxhill’s ‘Murder in the Air’, followed by Edge’s ‘Collapso’’ then ‘Alfie’.

The music shop was noteworthy for the personal service which they offered. This was second-to-none and the business became a great success story. Michael would make a list when customers wanted records which they did not have in stock, and then the following weekend he and Ann set off to buy copies at the warehouses in London which stocked them.

Marlow Jazz Club

In the early 1970s, Michael together with two of his friends set-up the Chiltern’s Jazz Appreciation Society as a record-recital group with occasional jazz film shows, meeting in the little back-room of the Clayton Arms pub in Quoiting Square.

In 1975 this became the Marlow Jazz Club and held live gigs. Eleven different venues later the Jazz Club is still going strong, having hosted many of the top jazz names. For the last 20 years or so the club has met at the Royal British Legion alongside Marlow Train Station.

The club will be continuing, with the active support of Michael’s wife Ann, and 'Simon Lenton. The' programme for the remainder of the year is:

l October 22 Alan Barnes/Bruce Adams Quintet

l November 12 The New Gary Potter Swingtet

l December 17 Stuart Henderson’s 17 Piece Remix Jazz Orchestra, with the sensational Rebecca Poole.

These gigs to take place at Marlow Jazz Club, Royal British Legion Hall, Marlow, SL7 1NT.