Guest Blog by Tony Wynne
Had a little saunter down Wesley Street in Southport this week and found a newly-opened gem. It’s Vinyl Finders, located in the shop that many Southport people will know as J A Kelly’s… and it’s a magical emporium for vinyl lovers!
It has a vast collection of vinyl and CDs, curated over half a century, and spanning all genres and including rock, jazz, blues, folk, country, soul, Motown, classical and a liberal smattering of favourite power-pop and alternative country.
There’s lots of vintage and rare music memorabilia and many of the records are rare titles and pressings. It even has a jukebox!
The Vinyl Finders shop on Wesley Street in Southport. Photo by Tony Wynne
The owner, Paul Darwin, described his background:
“Music is my passion. For over 50 years collecting it has been my time, money and space consuming obsession! My proper jobs; social secretary at Manchester Uni, concert promoter, tour manager, Hi-fi retail and manufacturer sales – have served only to satisfy my musical fixation and my ultimate ambition: to have my own record shop!”
Paul continued to tell his remarkable story:
“I’ve travelled the world for gigs and festivals and been lucky enough to work with a multitude of artists as tour manager and concert promoter with Outlaw Artists and Bandstand Entertainments, including: Genesis, Lenny Kravitz, ZZ Top, The Damned, Iron Maiden, Ian Gillan, Black Sabbath, The Ruts, JAMC, and many, many more.”
The Vinyl Finders shop on Wesley Street in Southport. Photo by Tony Wynne
Paul is happy to chat with customers about music and the extraordinary world of classic vinyl. The recent revival has seen a rocketing demand for vintage ‘45s and ’33 albums and Paul’s customers range from young people getting into vinyl for the first time to those that lived through the boom time of vinyl records in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
Vinyl Finders is on Wesley Street in Southport town centre.
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