Record shops of old are held in high esteem by former patrons and none more so than Dobells which was situated in the heart of London at 77 Charing Cross Road and traded from the mid 1950s until 1980.

Shop owner Doug Dobell was a true pioneer in the British music industry, he launched his own private record label, 77 Records, in 1957 and tailored his releases to suit his own customer base of Jazz fanatics by issuing recordings previously unavailable in England. He also and began recording both British Trad Jazz and Rhythm and Blues performers such as Acker Bilk, Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies and visiting American musicians such as Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Lightnin’ Hopkins in a small recording studio on the premises.

Mr Dobell, we salute you !