Music and Related Shops

Records Shops in Coventry

Jill Hanson's  /  Paynes  /  Cranes  /  Fennell's /  Woolworth /  Boots / Virgin records (See Article)
HMV / Pete Waterman's Soul Hole / Patel's (Reggae) / Hits and Misses and Vintage Records
Whisky Muhle (Intershop - Records)

Pete Waterman's Soul Hole 1973

Pete Waterman's Soul Hole Chart for Hobo Magazine

Pete Waterman started Soul Hole Records after more than a decade of being a top soul Dj in Coventry and area and importing classic soul records and even supplying some to the early Beatles on one of their pre-fame visits to Coventry! Pete started the Soul Hole in the poky basement of the hippy I AM boutique in Hales street Coventry. I went in one day to get I Am to place another ad in Hobo and heard the beat coming from the basement. "Pete Waterman will give you an advert too - they need to get the word out about the Soul Hole" I already knew Pete, I'd worked with him at GEC, written a song with him and did the door for him at his Walsgrave progressive Music venue a couple of years before). Along the way, Pete placed ads in Hobo, did a Soul Hole chart, wrote an article on his meet up with the Three degrees and David Bowie and did some soul single reviews. More information to come on both the Soul Hole and Pete Waterman's Coventry days

Coventry Virgin Record Store


From Alternative Sounds c 1979 "We talked to Tim and John here. Virgin records have been open for 6 years in Coventry. They stock everything here (except from brass bands0 and are open 6 days a week. As they are a chain store, it means that they can get most records but there are often delays cos they don't deal with the distributors direct. A chart single costs 75p here. they also have discounts on the top 50 albums (about £1 off) plus various bargains in their 'cheap rack'. This is the only shop in Coventry where they have headphones for you to listen to records first.


More on Virgin Records Coventry Store - from Hobo Magazine (including Virgin (Coventry) singles and albums charts for 1973 /4. http://coventrygigs.blogspot.com/p/cov-virgin-record-charts.html

Jill Hanson (which was her maiden name) (Hopkins)  - of Record Shop fame, passed away aged 84 on 3 October 2011. Tributes from Historic Coventry website forum http://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/forum/main/forum-posts.php?id=2831

" I remember buying my first Mario Lanza records from Jill Hansons. I think I may have had a schoolgirl crush on him at the time. Jill Hanson will long be remembered."

"My late housekeeper knew Jill personally. She said Jill once told her she made more money from jazz and classical music sales than she ever made from pop music. Not that surprising as at the time an LP cost 37/6 whilst a 7" single was 6/8. The average wage for a shopgirl in those days was just £4 a week and very few pop albums were sold in this country before 1970."

" Think I’ll bruise ‘round Woolworth’s, whilst the sun is hiding
Browse through the record sleeves, New releases I am seeking"
From Trev Teasdel's song Search the Crowd April 1971
( We'd look in Jill Hanson's shop first - Woolworths was in the same block, behind Jill Hanson's. I bought World of Blues Power album there in 1969 among others.

From Alternative Sounds (Coventry fanzine 1979 / 80)
" Since opening the upstairs in January this year (1979) Jill Hanson's has become one of the best shops in Coventry. They sell punk, heavy rock rock, soul and funk, reggae, imports, 12" singles etc.

There's 10% discount on lots of their albums. Down stairs are the chart records (a chart single costs 80p - remember this as we are comparing them). Jill Hanson's is shut all day Thursday. Thanks to happy smiling shop assistant Mandy for talking to us (She loves her job).

From Broadgate Gnome site
" Jill Hansons, 8 Market Way
Hosted 'Jill's Jury' singles forum for Coventry Standard - also had a boutique at 9 Market Way
Closed c. 1981."

From Coventry Memories http://www.coventrymemories.co.uk/memory/?id=1115&title=Coventry's_lost_shops
" How many of us stood in the booth's listening to the new sounds in the hit parade at Jill Hanson's record shop in Market Way." " yes...jill hansons....quite small inside but to me at 14/15 what a place..." and then buying sticky fingers by the stones in jill hansons" 

Hits and Misses - Coventry

From Coventry Memories 
"And then there was hits misses and vintage records in far gosford street...FAB place"

From Alternative Sounds (Coventry fanzine 1979 / 80)

" Hits, Misses and Vintage records in Far Gosford Street was a little way out of the centre, so its one a lot of people miss - their loss. I talked to Pete, who runs the place. They stock new and second hand records dating from 1954 up to the current charts. (Chart singles cost 85p) including punk, rock n roll, disco, 12 inch singles etc. they buy and part exchange records but there is no set price - it depends on what it is and the quality. They also keep a wanted book for people specific, hard to get, items - they will try to get them and there is no extra charge for this. A lot of the albums are deletions or imports, three quarters of the stock is new and even the second hand albums are guaranteed (but the price must be taken into consideration). The shop opened in June 1976. Business has gone quite well, so they have since expanded to upstairs, improved the shop front etc..."

Music Shops
Music Centre . Strings and Things . Renton's - Musical Instruments

Other stores related music / arts scene in Coventry


International Centre (in the old Cathedral) - Meeting place / coffee
Kongoni - Coffee shop . Gaye Gannett (Café in Broadgate)
Wimpy Bar - (several in Coventry - Coffee / meeting place
Open air café near the Old cathedral
The Wedge - radical bookshop / Coffee / meeting place - High Street.
Woolworth's cafe
Coventry Arts Umbrella Club (See the site for it)
Riddies - Surplus Army and Navy store - Gosford Green) (Trench Coats)
I Am - Hippy Boutique (Housed Pete Waterman's Soul Hole in 1973)
The Left Centre (Later The trade union Bookshop) - Housed offset Litho - Hobo No printed there and Willenhall Free Press.
Electronic Services (advertised in Hobo).

DF Gibbs - Foleshill Road / Walsgrave Road / Spon End / Balsall Common
Bernie Phelps