Marshall Amplification is the legendary British guitar amplifier manufacturer founded in 1962 by James Charles 'Jim' Marshall OBE (1923-2012), known as 'The Father of Loud,' who transformed from a danceband drummer and drum tutor into one of rock music's most influential pioneers. Starting with a drum shop called 'Jim Marshall & Son' in Hanwell, West London in 1960, Marshall responded to demands from guitar customers including Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore, and Big Jim Sullivan for louder, more powerful amplifiers than the expensive American-made Fender amps. Working with assistants Dudley Craven and Ken Bran, Marshall developed their first amplifier, the JTM45 (originally called 'Number One'), receiving 23 orders on its first day in autumn 1962. The company's breakthrough came with 100-watt 'Plexi' amplifiers adopted by guitar legends including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and The Who's Pete Townshend, establishing the iconic 'Marshall sound' that defined rock music. Jim Marshall, awarded an OBE in 2003 for services to the music industry, built the company from a suburban music shop into a global brand with over 400 employees producing thousands of amplifiers weekly at their Milton Keynes factory for sale in 65+ countries. Since 2023, Marshall Amplification operates as a division of the Swedish Marshall Group (majority-owned by China-based HongShan Capital Group), uniting 800 employees across Marshall, Natal Drums, Urbanears, and adidas headphones brands while maintaining their commitment to handcrafting iconic amplifiers in Bletchley, UK.