Al Murrell

Al Murrell recalls being hooked on the Pipe Organ when he was just three years old. That special sound, which could be loud and haunting, could also be soft and soothing. As a young boy, he often snuck into his local church to play their organ and while in high school was playing theatre organs, never having had a proper lesson. Al intertwined his 20-year career in the Navy with his career in the organ business, once taking leave from the Navy Reserves to fly home to attend an organ concert by Virgil Fox. In 1972 he purchased his first Rodger’s Organ and soon began selling the instrument, which was the beginning of a 50-plus-year association with Rodgers. He teamed up with Ken Brown in 1987 selling organs in Virginia Beach, which led to them owning the RA Daffer Church Organ company in 1996. The company offers organs by Rodgers, Johannus, and Makin Organs as well as custom-built pipe organs by Fratelli Ruffatti.