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Former Thin Lizzy manager to revive Rock On Records in All Saints Street, Stamford - and pledges all profits to charity




A renowned London record shop which boasted the likes of Bob Dylan and Jimmy Page among its customers is to make a comeback in Stamford.

Rock On Records built up a loyal following among music fans and musicians in London from 1971 until its last remaining shop, in Camden, closed in 1996.

Owner Ted Carroll, who used to manage rock band Thin Lizzy, is to resurrect the name at 4 All Saints Street, giving the town its first record store in more than a decade. It is scheduled to open its doors on March 9.

Ted behind the counter during Rock On's heyday in London
Ted behind the counter during Rock On's heyday in London

Ted, from Ketton, has also made an unorthodox business move by pledging all profits from the shop to charity.

Last year alone he helped to raise £30,000 for good causes through sales of rare music memorabilia.

“I have all the stock already so the overheads will be minimal and I expect it to be quite profitable,” he explained.

Work is under way to get the shop ready for its March opening date. Photo: Maddy Baillie
Work is under way to get the shop ready for its March opening date. Photo: Maddy Baillie

It will cater for all kinds of music fans, with a price range to suit the casual buyer through to serious collectors.

“There’s going to be a mixture,” he said.

“There will be some 45s for 50 pence right through to records for £500 a throw.

“It will cover all bases from very specialist to fairly ordinary stuff that anyone can afford to buy.”

A cutting from the Melody Maker music paper shows Ted at Rock On's original flea market home in Portobello Road
A cutting from the Melody Maker music paper shows Ted at Rock On's original flea market home in Portobello Road

The shop will stock vinyl, with around 5,000 LPs and as many seven inches, as well as cassettes and a select range of CDs, covering all genres, so long as the music passes one crucial criteria.

“We only want to stock interesting records so we keep our customers stimulated,” Ted explained.

Ted has been involved in the music industry for more than 50 years, including a three-year stint as co-manager of iconic British band Thin Lizzy.

Ted, 80, has been involved in the music industry for more than 50 years
Ted, 80, has been involved in the music industry for more than 50 years

Having been set up as a stall in a flea market, Rock On built up a loyal clientele which included Bob Dylan, The Clash frontman Joe Strummer, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, and BBC Radio broadcaster John Peel.

Within a few years he helped launch the Ace Records label, the first to specialise in re-issues of classic tracks by artists such as BB King and John Lee Hooker.

The independent label also worked with contemporary alternative acts, releasing singles for the likes of The Damned, Motorhead, Kirsty MacColl, and Simple Minds.

Ted, 80, sold the label last September, handing over the company to its staff members and turning down sizeable offers from major labels to ensure it retained its independent ethos.

“We looked for the right people to take over the company for quite some time and decided to do a deal with the staff - a sort of management buyout,” he said.

But just a few months later, Ted decided to put off full retirement a little longer.

“There hasn’t been a record shop in Stamford for about 15 years,” he added.

“I was just driving into town one day and spotted this shop for sale and bought it.

“I have tons of stock left over at home, in the cellar, spare rooms, the barn, you name it.

“I’m 80 years of age but I know the business backwards and I still find it exciting.”



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