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Philip CANN music and record shop


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Philip Cann Shop Sheffield.jpg

Anyone remember Philip Cann music and record shop on Haymarket or Chapel Walk in Sheffield City Centre?

CANN’S is well remembered by Sheffield record buyers and others. It was named after the founder and owner Philip Cann, and his name was on the front of the original building.

The shop opened at the top end of Dixon Lane, at No. 4. Dixon Lane today is a rather forgotten backwater, but was once a busy thoroughfare leading up to the city centre from the old market.

They are listed there in the Sheffield Trades Directory 1927-28, although judging by surviving 78 rpm sleeves from the shop (with their catchy slogan “Cann’s The Music Man”) were probably there before this; one early 78 Cann’s sleeve lists them stocking Winner, Pathe, Zonophone and other early labels.

 

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The record sleeve design changed regularly and variously advertise Cann’s as “For Everything Musical – Most Complete Record Stock In Yorkshire. Gramophone Records / Gramophone Players”, “Record Cases, music, strings”, or “Music and Musical Instruments of every description”. The shop expanded next door into No. 2 then 4a Dixon Lane.


Carole Froggatt remembers beginning work there in 1956 and was put in charge of the four large 78rpm players linked to listening booths. She says the store was always very busy on Saturdays, and recalls selling hundreds of copies of Rock Around The Clock (the track came out in 1955 but following the movie in 1956 it went on to became the biggest selling UK single of the fifties, reaching number one in 1957).

canns-dixon-lane.jpg


Some great stuff on Cann Record Shop here - https://st33.wordpress.com/record-shops/closed/cann-the-music-man/


Anyone remember Cann Record Shops?

Which one did you go to?

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A few more pics of Cann Record Shop stuff - hope they jog a few memories :)

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78's are not that valuable unless they are rock and roll records. Or if you have a foreign Beatles 78.

You can still pick them up very cheap in second hand shops.  

Few people can play them, most record players made these days have only 33 and 45 speeds.

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17 hours ago, History dude said:

78's are not that valuable unless they are rock and roll records. Or if you have a foreign Beatles 78.

 

Not quite true, but you're broadly right. In particular, copies of the last U.K.-issued 78s tend to be more valuable than the equivalent 45s because they were pressed in much smaller quantities as the popularity of the 78 format declined. For example, a copy of what may have been the last U.K. 78 issued by a major label, Johnny & The Hurricanes' 'Rocking Goose' from late 1960, could sell for up to £200 if in mint condition (which it won't be) whereas the 45 issue of the same tune is worth under a tenner.

I used to go into "Philip Cann The Music Man" in Chapel Walk - did he move there or was this in addition to his Dixon Lane premises? On one occasion, a Saturday morning, I was surprised to see a teacher from my school, King Edward's, working behind the counter. Mr. Bridgewater, known to us boys as "Ponto" (you'll need to know some French to get the joke) listened to my request for whatever record it was that I wanted that day, grimaced and said "Oh, you're not going to buy THAT?" I did, though.

I too still have one or two of their cardboard sleeves.

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Not many posts on this one....I used to work there part-time as a teenager 1959 to 1961....remembering a few people as well as the owners.. Dennis Cann was a real character as I remember, very strict but kind (everyone feared him)! Arthur Bliss from Dronfield and Philip Crane were my immediate bosses. I still have recordings (on my Grundig tape recorder reel to reel of course!) from those days when young men in the workshops used to experiment with own made "echo-machines"... mini TV sets.... HiFi  and recording equipment etc The original owner was Philip A Cann who had two sons who took over the business one of them being Dennis and I think his brother was Michael (Michael Philip Cann), Philip their father died in 1942. Great business to be involved in and I sold many a local family Radios "Perdios, Philips, Bush, Roberts, Grundig and so it goes on!" + Stereos + HiFi + Radiograms + TV sets and all the State of the Art equipment at the time. In the shop behind the counter was the girlfriend of one of the technicians in the workshop... anyone else can add to this?

Anyone also remember Lewis Leathers & N Jones at Moorfoot, outfitters.....when I worked there I fitted/kitted out Dave Berry in his "Gene Vincent" look alike skin tight leathers trousers and jackets!

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Hi Ginger. Can you remember the older, grey haired, very staid lady who appeared to be in charge of the Record Dept at Chapel Walk round about that time?  You’d go in a booth to hear a record played then go to the counter and wait for it to be taken off a turntable. She would announce each record as she took it off and her posh pronunciation of the record titles used to have us in stitches.

I remember too going to Lewis Leathers in that row of temporary shops at the bottom of the Moor. I’m sure there was a Thornton’s Chocolate Kabin on there as well

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22 hours ago, paulhib48 said:

Hi Ginger. Can you remember the older, grey haired, very staid lady who appeared to be in charge of the Record Dept at Chapel Walk round about that time?  You’d go in a booth to hear a record played then go to the counter and wait for it to be taken off a turntable. She would announce each record as she took it off and her posh pronunciation of the record titles used to have us in stitches.

I remember too going to Lewis Leathers in that row of temporary shops at the bottom of the Moor. I’m sure there was a Thornton’s Chocolate Kabin on there as well

Hi Paul

Yes this lady was a spinster but had  a very austere character....but as a colleague would do anything for you...cant remember her name though....I remember her going on holiday to Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.. it made me desire going myself and when I did I looked up some of the places she had mentioned!

Moving on to Lewis and N Jones...yes it was those temporary shops and two doors away was Thorntons and across the road was the bakers....there was a young lady in there called Laura!...around the time of the song “tell Laura I love her” I used to tease her by singing the song when I walked in!

Those were the days! Life was simple!

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Hi Ginger. There’s a photo on Picture Sheffield of that very row of shops  ( S00213 ). Sorry I’ve not got the nous to reproduce it on here.

Sharps, Schofields, Lewis Leathers, Theatrical Supplies, Thornton’s and Isidore Newman’s is all I can make out.

Wasnt Red Circle Libraries in that block across from there or was that further up?

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The Red Circle was almost opposite where as Bakers were nearer to Cumberland Street (cooplands) Sharps were the greengrocer Fruit and Veg shop.... for extra cash I used to wash their lorry in my lunch break (until Mr Wilkes (the manager at Lewis) found out and didn’t like my enterprising enthusiasm! ..including hosepipe in the cab to wash dust of cab floor!

Thanks

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I still have a Bang Ofsen beomaster 900 radio in my kitchen . 55yr old. It's been every where with me.Still in good health and sounding good.                                                              Thank's to  Cann's I was a lucky girl, a present from my parents for the year. 

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I bought my Hokada acoustic guitar from the Canns music shop on Chapel Walk in 1976. It cost me £33 & I  still play it. The musical instrument section was upstairs back then. 

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The Record Department was downstairs and on the wall that was directly in front of you going down was several record sleeves. One of them was K-Tel's British Gold. The albums they used to advertise on the TV. It must have been up there sometime when was a regular shopper there. I liked to collect these K-Tel's at that time. And British Gold was hard to find. In fact it was the only one I saw. So one day I decided to ask the assistant if they had another for sale. They didn't, but they did have the record for that sleeve. So they took it off the wall and sold it to me!  

British Gold.jpg

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On 27/08/2017 at 22:09, Sheffield History said:

Philip Cann Shop Sheffield.jpg

Anyone remember Philip Cann music and record shop on Haymarket or Chapel Walk in Sheffield City Centre?

CANN’S is well remembered by Sheffield record buyers and others. It was named after the founder and owner Philip Cann, and his name was on the front of the original building.

The shop opened at the top end of Dixon Lane, at No. 4. Dixon Lane today is a rather forgotten backwater, but was once a busy thoroughfare leading up to the city centre from the old market.

They are listed there in the Sheffield Trades Directory 1927-28, although judging by surviving 78 rpm sleeves from the shop (with their catchy slogan “Cann’s The Music Man”) were probably there before this; one early 78 Cann’s sleeve lists them stocking Winner, Pathe, Zonophone and other early labels.

 

canns-inside-rgb.jpg


The record sleeve design changed regularly and variously advertise Cann’s as “For Everything Musical – Most Complete Record Stock In Yorkshire. Gramophone Records / Gramophone Players”, “Record Cases, music, strings”, or “Music and Musical Instruments of every description”. The shop expanded next door into No. 2 then 4a Dixon Lane.


Carole Froggatt remembers beginning work there in 1956 and was put in charge of the four large 78rpm players linked to listening booths. She says the store was always very busy on Saturdays, and recalls selling hundreds of copies of Rock Around The Clock (the track came out in 1955 but following the movie in 1956 it went on to became the biggest selling UK single of the fifties, reaching number one in 1957).

canns-dixon-lane.jpg


Some great stuff on Cann Record Shop here - https://st33.wordpress.com/record-shops/closed/cann-the-music-man/


Anyone remember Cann Record Shops?

Which one did you go to?

I remember Cann record shop very well ; especially the one on Chapel Walk.  I used to go in there on a Saturday morning , and if I remember right  you had to go down some stairs  where they had some cubicals so you could listen to music before you bought anything.  

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