Violet May is where I spent most of my money in the 70s. She used to run a record shop through the 60s 70s and 80s in Sheffield. Thats is where most of us used to go to get our soul records from. Does anybody remember her?

Edited May 19, 201114 yr by 3 before 8

yeah of course..dodgy wig..and not one to suffers fools gladly..had a shop at the back of the moor..now a vintage mag shop i think..had loads of LPs..bit short on original northern , but stocked reissues and bootlegs (under the counter)...have plenty of albums..some with the violet may sticker on ( btw there is a sheffield band called violet may, what a tribute) will dig em out if i can...a misspent youth!!

https://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=343

https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-4948.html

This is what ya want mate.

https://youbooks.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=44

Violet May is where I spent most of my money in the 70s. She used to run a record shop through the 60s 70s and 80s in Sheffield. Thats is where most of us used to go to get our soul records from. Does anybody remember her?

Violet was certainly one of a kind , and they broke the mould when she shuffled off this mortal coil .

Sat behind the counter most days , she used to puff away on a succcesion of cigarettes held in a long elegant holder and was definately the queen of all she surveyed .

As well as being highly knowledgable about popular music , Violet was a devotee of jazz music .

Malc

The top photograph below ( taken from the book "The Dirty Stop Outs Guide To 1970s Sheffield " ) , shows Violet behind the counter of the shop .

The boxes of singles behind her ( above the rows of albums ) are all stamped with their respective labels , and behind her

( to her left / right of the photograph ) are the ones marked " Soul " and " American Tamla " .

Malc

Edited June 21, 201114 yr by Malc Burton

Violet was certainly one of a kind , and they broke the mould when she shuffled off this mortal coil .

Sat behind the counter most days , she used to puff away on a succcesion of cigarettes held in a long elegant holder and was definately the queen of all she surveyed .

As well as being highly knowledgable about popular music , Violet was a devotee of jazz music .

Malc

How very true Malc. she was all that & more.

I fisrt started using violet back when she had her shop on broad lane at the back of where the rag market was, i sold her lots of my records in those days also bought a few from her, she was very warey of people bringing bags in to her shop, i also remember she would look through peoples records they were selling & say not interested then just as they were about to vacate the shop she would puff on her capstan full strengh & say how much do you want for them, & the seller would say a price & she would almost cut that in half & buy them it was so funny to watch her in full flight with her technique,

When she moved to the other shop i continued to frequent there & amazingly as years went on in the days when i had a black cab in Sheffield i used to pick her up in the morning & take her to the shop & take her home at the end of the day, she told me lots of funny stories about folk, she also told me how she became a record dealer, it started back at the old shop which was originally a grocers she went on to tell me a woman went in with a bag full of records & asked violet if she would let her have some food to feed her children of violet said no but when the woman started to cry she took pity & said lets have a look at what you have got, after viewing the records she let her have some food to what value she did not say, but she put the records in a box on the counter at 2/- thats two shillings each which sold like hot cakes other people hearing of violets generosity took there records in for food & fags, then she realised that more people were going into the shop to buy records than groceries so she turned one half into grocerys & the other half to second hand records and that was her story she told me after i had asked her how she got into dealing in second hand records,

I can't remember if it was last year or 2009 but my niece's boyfriends cousin (bit of a mouthful) invited me to the book launch of her life story i sadly could not make it my loss but he has saved me two copies autographed by the auther who has sadly since died,

there was lots of other stories about folk but can't remember them i only remember that cos i was into buying & selling records in those days which i had stuck to doing that i also remember selling her lots of tamla demos what a nutter i was then oh you live & learn. thanks for starting this up dave,

steve(fozzie)foster

Edited June 20, 201114 yr by S Foster

I've really enjoyed reading this and going to see about getting the book S.

Made many a long bus journey from Skegness to Sheffield in the early 70s to check the store.

How very true Malc. she was all that & more.

I fisrt started using violet back when she had her shop on broad lane at the back of where the rag market was, i sold her lots of my records in those days also bought a few from her, she was very warey of people bringing bags in to her shop, i also remember she would look through peoples records they were selling & say not interested then just as they were about to vacate the shop she would puff on her capstan full strengh & say how much do you want for them, & the seller would say a price & she would almost cut that in half & buy them it was so funny to watch her in full flight with her technique,

When she moved to the other shop i continued to frequent there & amazingly as years went on in the days when i had a black cab in Sheffield i used to pick her up in the morning & take her to the shop & take her home at the end of the day, she told me lots of funny stories about folk, she also told me how she became a record dealer, it started back at the old shop which was originally a grocers she went on to tell me a woman went in with a bag full of records & asked violet if she would let her have some food to feed her children of violet said no but when the woman started to cry she took pity & said lets have a look at what you have got, after viewing the records she let her have some food to what value she did not say, but she put the records in a box on the counter at 2/- thats two shillings each which sold like hot cakes other people hearing of violets generosity took there records in for food & fags, then she realised that more people were going into the shop to buy records than groceries so she turned one half into grocerys & the other half to second hand records and that was her story she told me after i had asked her how she got into dealing in second hand records,

I can't remember if it was last year or 2009 but my niece's boyfriends cousin (bit of a mouthful) invited me to the book launch of her life story i sadly could not make it my loss but he has saved me two copies autographed by the auther who has sadly since died,

there was lots of other stories about folk but can't remember them i only remember that cos i was into buying & selling records in those days which i had stuck to doing that i also remember selling her lots of tamla demos what a nutter i was then oh you live & learn. thanks for starting this up dave,

steve(fozzie)foster

Brilliant Steve : thank you for sharing .

I can highly recommend the book ( " Shades Of Violet " ) to anyone who stepped foot inside her shops .

Malc

Brilliant Steve : thank you for sharing .

I can highly recommend the book ( " Shades Of Violet " ) to anyone who stepped foot inside her shops .

Malc

Its a pleasure Malc, like you have said Violet was one of a kind but she had a nice side to her also, RIP Violet May Barkworth.

just like to add that Violet passed her shop on for a small fee to a younger relative of hers i can't remember his name at the moment (but jeff seems to be stuck in my mind) anyway he did not have the technique or no how that she had & of course the bottom fell out he had hardly any record stock compared to what Violet used to have and started to sell any kind of bric a brac he thought might earn him a few bob, Violet came out of retirement to try & rescue the shop but could not get it back to how it was

Fozzie

Edited June 21, 201114 yr by S Foster

Thanks for the info on Violet, one of Sheffield great characters.

The shop was originally at the bottom of South Street rather than Broad Lane which is a bit further up Broad Street

ok soulmanuk i stand corrected it was broad street & not broad lane as thats up near west bar & i was a taxi driver at that lol:

but it was near to the ice cream company which i think was hulleys ice cream,

but the main issue thats when i first started dealing with Violet May back in the good old day's of the Mojo Club & 60s Mod era.

Fozzie

Route 61 soul night Niagara Road Sheffield S6 1LU

Resident DJ's Steve Foster & Soulman Martin with John Barnsley

Guest DJs. Steve B / Mopsey / Lttle John /Carl Piper

Friday 24th June 7-30pm till 12.30 am, £4.00 O.T.D.

Granellis was on Broad Street and is still there including the sweetshop. Hulleys rings a bell though, but the main two around there were Granellis and Manfredis from City Road.

Granellis was on Broad Street and is still there including the sweetshop. Hulleys rings a bell though, but the main two around there were Granellis and Manfredis from City Road.

I always felt slightly uneasy when going through the boxes in VM's , as she was never far away , and ever watchful of what you were doing .

At first I assumed that when she gave out the odd cough , it was due to the smoke she inhaled from the cigarette she was smoking , until I realised it was a " prompt " at regular intervals to " get on with it , I have not got all day "

Malc

I to used Violet's to start off my record collection in the early 70s it was between her and wilson peck, selact disc notts then pete & sue (revolution records) came on the gallery, if I remember wright a DJ I worked with at Tifanys in the late 70s Graham Bull took over the shop! she was a one off thats for sure, but I thank her for my motown and soul collection. ( this record collection was lost when my car was nicked and left burned out god bless the good old 80s) I have just started from scatch to build up my collection Violet May we miss you.

Nigel

ps I shop at Vinyl Demand on division st sheffield next to the old fire station now a car park

Great thread re Violet May....fond memories of the 70s and early 80 out all nightering then off to her shop to see what was on the shelves-always a great shop to visit and pull those odd ball tunes...yes Violet was one of Sheffields true greats...mmm not sure what she made of us lot hanging about outside her shop waiting for it to open...great times and a great influance on record collecting!!

ktf

tfk

Granellis was on Broad Street and is still there including the sweetshop. Hulleys rings a bell though, but the main two around there were Granellis and Manfredis from City Road.

it must be my old age at 61 that keeps me getting it a bit wrong :thumbsup: , first i said broad lane instead of broad street, then the dj who took over i said i seem to remember Jeff but can i be forgiven J can sometimes sound like a G. then i got the ice company wrong i said i thought it was hulleys but as corrected by soulmanuk it was granellis thanks for the correction,

but all in all lots of us have fond memories of good old Violet May & the experience dealing with her

she was also ok with her tips on top the taxi fare's over the period i took her to & fro.

Fozzie

Edited June 23, 201114 yr by S Foster

I used to spend most of Saturday in Violets when I was about 12 in 1969 - in those days I was buying reggae from her.

That shop to me was like an Aladins Cave, she had shelves full of brand new reggae singles, all in order of labels.

When I asked for "Clint Eastwood" by the Upsetters,she - fag in gob, glasses halfway down her nose, about 70 odd, casually says YES, and turned to the shelves, thumbed along the Punch 45's and pulled it out brand new - 7and a tanner !!

I once asked for one and quoted the matrix number, "Teddy Brown - Trojan TR7810", to which she replied, "you ought to be working for me round this side" - made my day!

A couple of years later I was after the Soul gems which we all crave, picked up a few good uns too, but when I think of all those thousands of imports sat there, there must have been absolutely loads of undiscovered and yet to be massive sounds just waiting..... we just didnt know em then at that time.

I used to stand around listening to the records she put on for the punters, usually Soul and reggae, - going through the same racks of LP's over and over again so I didnt get her barking, "are you buying anything or what ?!!!"

What a star !!!

Don't often post but the mention of Voilet Mays shop(s) got me all misty eyed. Didn't know about the book but will be ordering it after this. I grew up in Sheffield and her old shop on South Street was such a part of my young life. Date wise can't remember when I first went there but was probably mid to late '64. By March '65, I was already going to the Mojo in Sheffield and 100% into soul but before that I had been into general pop mainly from the US. I loved Luxemburg and from there and the US Record Mirror charts and used to copy down titles and take them down to Voilets to search the singles racks. The main stumbling block was cost of course even at 2/- ish a record and I was still at school till mid '68. When I've looked back over the years the stuff I got in there was incredible but what's always amazed me (and I didn't think too much about it at the time) was how few people wanted the same things I did. I could literally leave stuff I wanted and couldn't afford for ages till I could. I only got Lp's at Christmas and birthdays and I remember she had the Miracles "The Fabulous Miracles" on Stateside up on the wall for weeks before I got that (and the Markeys Last Night album on London from the 10/- standard racks) one year.

She got records from people just coming in off the street and selling them, new deletions she bought up etc but from when I first went in she did have a box on the counter of new 45's on Island, Blue Beat, Black Swan and related labels ska stuff including of course Sue - almost all the basis of my Sue collection came from there. When she moved to her new shop behind the Moor at the end of the 60's , she gave me the Sue poster she had up from above the counter from I reckon '66. These new singles were of course the full then retail price but she did have one at times two boxes of "specials" on the counter. These were more expensive then the standard racks - I think 3/6 and 4/6. Here would be records she thought she would get more for and despite being a jazz fan through and through she did know that she could get this for early blues and R&B 45's,Oriole soul singles, rare Parlaphones and Londons etc.

The shop was also frequented by local teds mainly just after R &R - great for me as they would discard for example certain unwanted Londons as being too soully. She didn't appear to get many new demos in there although I'm sure reps did offload records in there - the place for them in Sheffied was Kens market stall in the rag market (but that's another story).

I never really took to the shop she had on the Moor - her basic 45 price had rocketted by then and she never had the one off obscurities as before. I continued to take stuff I picked up in various junk shops etc (way before boot sales) to her and she didn't give anything like she did at the old shop. Being where it was in the city the new shop was also very studenty hippyish and certainly lacked the wirky slightly seedy atmosphere as before. Also by this time she was also stocking the first pressings (on Soul Sounds etc) and being visited by people from out of town looking for the same Northern tracks. I know people have mentioned imports in there (presumably those cleared from US warehouses and turning up in the UK in late 69 early 70's) but I don't think she had anything like the quantities elsewhere in the area - the junk shops in Attercliffe and Pitsmoor had loads of ABCs and Chess Group over a few weeks for example. The aforementioned Ken himself had a lock-up in West Bar full of these US cut outs - far more than dear old Voilet had.

Still a legend tho'

John Marriott

Don't often post but the mention of Voilet Mays shop(s) got me all misty eyed. Didn't know about the book but will be ordering it after this. I grew up in Sheffield and her old shop on South Street was such a part of my young life. Date wise can't remember when I first went there but was probably mid to late '64. By March '65, I was already going to the Mojo in Sheffield and 100% into soul but before that I had been into general pop mainly from the US. I loved Luxemburg and from there and the US Record Mirror charts and used to copy down titles and take them down to Voilets to search the singles racks. The main stumbling block was cost of course even at 2/- ish a record and I was still at school till mid '68. When I've looked back over the years the stuff I got in there was incredible but what's always amazed me (and I didn't think too much about it at the time) was how few people wanted the same things I did. I could literally leave stuff I wanted and couldn't afford for ages till I could. I only got Lp's at Christmas and birthdays and I remember she had the Miracles "The Fabulous Miracles" on Stateside up on the wall for weeks before I got that (and the Markeys Last Night album on London from the 10/- standard racks) one year.

She got records from people just coming in off the street and selling them, new deletions she bought up etc but from when I first went in she did have a box on the counter of new 45's on Island, Blue Beat, Black Swan and related labels ska stuff including of course Sue - almost all the basis of my Sue collection came from there. When she moved to her new shop behind the Moor at the end of the 60's , she gave me the Sue poster she had up from above the counter from I reckon '66. These new singles were of course the full then retail price but she did have one at times two boxes of "specials" on the counter. These were more expensive then the standard racks - I think 3/6 and 4/6. Here would be records she thought she would get more for and despite being a jazz fan through and through she did know that she could get this for early blues and R&B 45's,Oriole soul singles, rare Parlaphones and Londons etc.

The shop was also frequented by local teds mainly just after R &R - great for me as they would discard for example certain unwanted Londons as being too soully. She didn't appear to get many new demos in there although I'm sure reps did offload records in there - the place for them in Sheffied was Kens market stall in the rag market (but that's another story).

I never really took to the shop she had on the Moor - her basic 45 price had rocketted by then and she never had the one off obscurities as before. I continued to take stuff I picked up in various junk shops etc (way before boot sales) to her and she didn't give anything like she did at the old shop. Being where it was in the city the new shop was also very studenty hippyish and certainly lacked the wirky slightly seedy atmosphere as before. Also by this time she was also stocking the first pressings (on Soul Sounds etc) and being visited by people from out of town looking for the same Northern tracks. I know people have mentioned imports in there (presumably those cleared from US warehouses and turning up in the UK in late 69 early 70's) but I don't think she had anything like the quantities elsewhere in the area - the junk shops in Attercliffe and Pitsmoor had loads of ABCs and Chess Group over a few weeks for example. The aforementioned Ken himself had a lock-up in West Bar full of these US cut outs - far more than dear old Voilet had.

Still a legend tho'

John Marriott

Hya john, nice post, i seem to recall yr name who did you hang about with in those days, i used to hang about with phil ( woody ) wood. steve mathers, pete jackson aka jughead, mick slater aka monk, paul baker aka stan,ronnie betts,roggat,chris barker,dave richards,phil butler,dave leggot,graham howe the brother of roger who has you know became pete stringfellows manager in later years & many more, my name is steve smallcombe,

kennys record stall i agree was brill i sold lots of records to him too in those days days although he did not give you much more than a bob for em but if i took a good few down it gave me money to buy new stuff, another decent shop i used to go to for new releases was bunker & pratley just up from marples corner, they were great days, do you still reside in sheffield i am known as steve foster & run route61 at the niagara suite wadsley bridge, ktf. fozzie

Route 61 soul night Niagara Road Sheffield S6 1LU

Resident DJ's Steve Foster & Soulman Martin with John Barnsley

Guest DJs. Steve B / Mopsey / Lttle John /Carl Piper

Friday 24th June 7-30pm till 12.30 am, £4.00 O.T.D.

Used to go to Sheffield to Violet Mays on a regular basis got some great lps there including the following,

SOUL SIXTEEN on Stateside.

WANTED ONE SOUL SINGER = JOHNNIE TAYLOR

BOOGALOO DOWN BROADWAY = FANTASTIC JOHHNY C

THE HORSE = CLIFF NOBLES

I'M A LOSER = DORIS DUKE

KNOCK ON WOOD = EDDIE FLOYD

GAG A MAGGOT = SWAMP DOGG

Sorry I got it wrong it was Keith Jessop who took over Violet Mays , sorry again the old brain not so good! too much drink or it might have been the 15years in paras !

regards

Nigel

too much drink or it might have been the 15years in paras !

Or both.

I only ever recall going in Violet Mays once as a spotty teenager in the late 70's and being so scared I never went back. Went to the afore mentioned Revolution record shop on the balcony above the market. then from about '84 to the Spin City on the opposite side of the balcony and on to their two other places, one downstairs in the market and the other just off West Street and now to Andy's new shop on Rockingham street. All the best, Barry, KGB, KTF.

too much drink or it might have been the 15years in paras !

Or both.

I only ever recall going in Violet Mays once as a spotty teenager in the late 70's and being so scared I never went back. Went to the afore mentioned Revolution record shop on the balcony above the market. then from about '84 to the Spin City on the opposite side of the balcony and on to their two other places, one downstairs in the market and the other just off West Street and now to Andy's new shop on Rockingham street. All the best, Barry, KGB, KTF.

have to agree about her ability to scare the shit out of you when entering her lair , first went in with me mam about 1958 /59

when mum used to jive to rock an roll many 000s of 78s at that time down near the old rag an tag market near dixon lane before the castle market was built -back of BUNNEYS clothing stores,I always thought she had no legs cos never saw her come out from behind the counter. several years later found out she was a relative of my grandad s side of the family but like the smoking spider in her web i never got a discount but if a record got released she could get it as if by magic !!when she was moved out of the decaying premises to the back of the moor she seemed to become smaller yet more approachable , a legend trhoughout the record world,with a very wicked sense of irony,sharp as a scalpel to her retirement!!!!!!

have to agree about her ability to scare the shit out of you when entering her lair , first went in with me mam about 1958 /59

when mum used to jive to rock an roll many 000s of 78s at that time down near the old rag an tag market near dixon lane before the castle market was built -back of BUNNEYS clothing stores,I always thought she had no legs cos never saw her come out from behind the counter. several years later found out she was a relative of my grandad s side of the family but like the smoking spider in her web i never got a discount but if a record got released she could get it as if by magic !!when she was moved out of the decaying premises to the back of the moor she seemed to become smaller yet more approachable , a legend trhoughout the record world,with a very wicked sense of irony,sharp as a scalpel to her retirement!!!!!!

well said roggert, did not know you was on here mate i saw you in morrisons last week in ecclesfield but i was in a rush so could not stop to speak, i will send you a pm cos ya know so well but not under the name steve foster.

regards, steve.

Got the book just started to read and its looking good,go and get yourselves a copy

Got the book just started to read and its looking good,go and get yourselves a copy

Will definitely go and buy the book.

too much drink or it might have been the 15years in paras !

Or both.

I only ever recall going in Violet Mays once as a spotty teenager in the late 70's and being so scared I never went back. Went to the afore mentioned Revolution record shop on the balcony above the market. then from about '84 to the Spin City on the opposite side of the balcony and on to their two other places, one downstairs in the market and the other just off West Street and now to Andy's new shop on Rockingham street. All the best, Barry, KGB, KTF.

Hi Baz I remember Revolution and Spin city at the market. We used to go every saturday after being dragged into Harringtons by the staff to push us to buy their latest clothes.

Hi Baz I remember Revolution and Spin city at the market. We used to go every saturday after being dragged into Harringtons by the staff to push us to buy their latest clothes.

Sounds painfull being dragged by the "staff", all the best, Barry, KGB, KTF.

Sounds painfull being dragged by the "staff", all the best, Barry, KGB, KTF.

:lol:

Hi Baz I remember Revolution and Spin city at the market. We used to go every saturday after being dragged into Harringtons by the staff to push us to buy their latest clothes.

I remember Revolution really well, used to go in as soon as it opened after Samanthas.

Rows and rows of hand written record lists stuck on the wall.

Bought loads of 45's which at the time i thought were originals but turned out to be boots, Pointer Sisters, Joe Hicks and Lou Pride that I can remember.

Cant remember the name of the Scottish guy that owned the shop but if a record skipped he would never exchange it, always blamed it on my stylus.

I remember Revolution really well, used to go in as soon as it opened after Samanthas.

Rows and rows of hand written record lists stuck on the wall.

Bought loads of 45's which at the time i thought were originals but turned out to be boots, Pointer Sisters, Joe Hicks and Lou Pride that I can remember.

Cant remember the name of the Scottish guy that owned the shop but if a record skipped he would never exchange it, always blamed it on my stylus.

Like me I had little knowledge of record lables , I saw a record I wanted and bought it.

Now with Richard Searling on Radio Sheffield Wednesday night soul show, asking about stories from where you got your first Northern Soul Record. Like I said before I used to go to her shop in the 70s and she seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. We couldn`t get away with anything.

Now with Richard Searling on Radio Sheffield Wednesday night soul show, asking about stories from where you got your first Northern Soul Record. Like I said before I used to go to her shop in the 70s and she seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. We couldn`t get away with anything.

Bought my first ever records from Violet Mays around 1975.

Audio Arts Strings There's nothing else to say (instrumental) still a great record. And Giving up by the Ad-Libs great ballad but one you don't hear these days.

Digging through rows and rows of record boxes not knowing what you would come across is much better than trawling the Internet.

Pure nostalgia!

Martin

Like I said earlier - I used to spend all day in there when I was at school,

then later on when I started going to nighters I always picked up some good stuff

-not as good as when I walked into "J & B W's" on London Road and walked out with a mint Alexander Patton - A Lil Lovin Sometimes

on a lovely English Capitol for 30P (around 1972/3).