Woods Music Shop

We got a message on MySpace that I'm sure is OK to share with you, which was triggered by Armitage's article in The Guardian. It came from Richard of Dolphin Music, and the the subject was Woods Music Shop - if you've read the article, you'll know it finishes with the following exchange:

A month or so later, I'm on the internet searching for Woods' Music Shop. If you live in Huddersfield and you want an instrument, you go to Woods'. That's how it works. Everyone knows that. Pianos. Drums. Piccolos. Sheet music upstairs. Plectrums, flageolets and kazoos in the glass cabinet. The bloke with the limp. But the worldwide web hasn't heard of Woods'. Neither has the phone book, or Yellow Pages, or 118118. In the end, I phone the only person I can think of who knows everything there is to know about Huddersfield.

Me: "Where's Woods'?"

Mum: "Where's what?"

Me: "Where's Woods'?"

Mum: "What's Woods'?"

Me: "Woods' shop."

Mum: "Woods' what?"

Me: "Woods' shop."

Mum: "Woods' music shop?"

Me: "Yes."

Mum: "What about it?"

Me: "Where is it?"

Mum: "It closed down. Or it got taken over."

Me: "Woods'? When?"

Mum: "Years ago. Why?"

Me: "I need to buy an electric guitar."

There's a long, contemplative pause, then she says, "No. It's gone. You're too late."

To which, Richard replied:

Hi there...Richard here from what was Woods music shop in Huddersfield.

Just seen your article in the guardian mag. Woods did indeed close and now internet supremo's Dolphin Music now run the shop.

We are aiming to keep the same standerd of stock but at better prices than the Woods days, even some of the same staff are here.

The downside is that the man with the limp (Barry) has now limped off in to retirement.

Come down and say hi to us all - you are more than welcome.

hope to see you soon.

Richard.

Woods was the place that I first bought a record, Snoopy Versus The Red Baron by The Hotshots. The shop was a Huddersfield institution on New Street back then: I bought the single for 45p on the day Princess Anne opened Huddersfield Sport Centre, and somehow all these facts seemed significant back when I was seven, and frankly they still do now. I've bought thousands of records since then, but the circumstances don't stick in my head like they did that day. I've still got that 45 in with my other vinyl, probably bent out of shape through years of woeful storage and I haven't played it for donkey's years, because I haven't played any vinyl for donkey's years. I tried to download it once from Audiogalaxy, but it couldn't come up with the Hotshots version - the original was written by Phil Gernhard and Dick Holler and recorded in 1966 by the Florida-based rock band The Royal Guardsmen, (bless you, Wikipedia). Holler went on to write Abraham, Martin and John. The Guardsmen's version is OK but it didn't take me back to that February stood outside the Town Hall, clutching my new purchase in a brown paper bag, giddy as anything. My music tastes have moved on but there's still a huge place in heart for that version of that song.

And as for Woods, it's good to know it is still alive in one form or other, and it was good of Richard to take the time to let us know that it's still around, albeit in changed state, (as we all are!)