Potters Music
Owned by drummer Ted Potter. The Croydon branch I know very well, as I too was a local drummer in the 1960’s. They definitely sold records up to the 1970’s as I bought several jazz LPs there, dated 1969, along with some drumsticks. Dave Harwood.
Steve Potter, son of Ted Potter, who was drummer for a while in Lennie Best's quartet in the 1960s, grew up with Lennie's family and via family members adds a bit of background: "Lennie was the manager of Potter's Music Shop in Kingston. My parents had three shops. The main one was in Croydon which they ran, my uncle ran the one in Richmond and Lennie ran the Kingston one for a while. That would have been in the early sixties.
This is from ‘Eel Pie Memories’ at this link:
Also mentions Gerry Potter, who must have been the uncle of Steve Potter (see above):
“Neil shared a flat in Twickenham at one time with Eric Clapton (still known as Eric Clapp) who was trying to learn the guitar from old blues records in Gerry Potter's record shop on Richmond Hill.”
Unfortunately, I can’t find the address of the Kingston branch. Dave Newton, who joined the Croydon branch in 1962, refers to it in Chris Groom’s book: “We also had the little shop over at Kingston, and quite a few bands would come in there – The Nashville Teens and The Kinks were customers, in fact we had a guy called Andy White who used to teach Mick Avory how to play the drums.”
Name Richard Newman Comment: I got my first guitar from Gerry Potter and also my musical education. I was a regular and built my Blues album collection through that shop.Also I met Johny Joyce there, who repaired guitars in the basement. John was a great 12 string guitarist and through him I met Brian Knight and Geoff Bradford who where two of the founders of the London Blues scene and we all ended up on Capital Radios Night Flight. I later produced albums by all of them. For a kid out of a council estate in Battersea, who had moved to Richmond in 1967, Potters Music Shop and One Stop Records, were for me a doorway to another life. ( Oct 28, 2016).
Comment
I am Joy Wilcox nee Potter. My parents, Albert Potter and my mother Gladys Hay, daughter of Will Hay bought the premises at 7 Southend Croydon. My brother Ted Potter and his wife Jean and my father ran the shop.
Dad had been a musician all his life and taught my brother about restringing bows and drum skins etc and the value of instruments. We sold records. I was at the Croydon art school and worked every weekend and holiday in the shop. We lived above.
We had so many wonderful customers. Including Roy Hudd who was beginning his career in show business.
We did have the booths to listen to the music. My brother made them by lining them with egg boxes for the sound insulation.
We also had lessons for guitar by Steve Benbow, and trumpet. It was a magical place.
I did the window displays. I was also involved when Potters Music Shop Initiated a concert at Croydon’s Fairfield Hall
Called Music is Fun. To involve young people to learn to play instruments. We, Potters would hire them out to schools so everyone could have the chance to play. My late husband and myself designed the exhibition and all the graphics.
Potters was indeed very special.
Joy Wilcox.
(2019)
Comment
My father and Ted Potter played in The Diamond Trio totter along with my mum Doreen and Bobby Richards. I believe Ted Potter was my godfather.
Name
Jill Franco
(2022)
Steve Potter, son of Ted Potter, who was drummer for a while in Lennie Best's quartet in the 1960s, grew up with Lennie's family and via family members adds a bit of background: "Lennie was the manager of Potter's Music Shop in Kingston. My parents had three shops. The main one was in Croydon which they ran, my uncle ran the one in Richmond and Lennie ran the Kingston one for a while. That would have been in the early sixties.
This is from ‘Eel Pie Memories’ at this link:
Also mentions Gerry Potter, who must have been the uncle of Steve Potter (see above):
“Neil shared a flat in Twickenham at one time with Eric Clapton (still known as Eric Clapp) who was trying to learn the guitar from old blues records in Gerry Potter's record shop on Richmond Hill.”
Unfortunately, I can’t find the address of the Kingston branch. Dave Newton, who joined the Croydon branch in 1962, refers to it in Chris Groom’s book: “We also had the little shop over at Kingston, and quite a few bands would come in there – The Nashville Teens and The Kinks were customers, in fact we had a guy called Andy White who used to teach Mick Avory how to play the drums.”
Name Richard Newman Comment: I got my first guitar from Gerry Potter and also my musical education. I was a regular and built my Blues album collection through that shop.Also I met Johny Joyce there, who repaired guitars in the basement. John was a great 12 string guitarist and through him I met Brian Knight and Geoff Bradford who where two of the founders of the London Blues scene and we all ended up on Capital Radios Night Flight. I later produced albums by all of them. For a kid out of a council estate in Battersea, who had moved to Richmond in 1967, Potters Music Shop and One Stop Records, were for me a doorway to another life. ( Oct 28, 2016).
Comment
I am Joy Wilcox nee Potter. My parents, Albert Potter and my mother Gladys Hay, daughter of Will Hay bought the premises at 7 Southend Croydon. My brother Ted Potter and his wife Jean and my father ran the shop.
Dad had been a musician all his life and taught my brother about restringing bows and drum skins etc and the value of instruments. We sold records. I was at the Croydon art school and worked every weekend and holiday in the shop. We lived above.
We had so many wonderful customers. Including Roy Hudd who was beginning his career in show business.
We did have the booths to listen to the music. My brother made them by lining them with egg boxes for the sound insulation.
We also had lessons for guitar by Steve Benbow, and trumpet. It was a magical place.
I did the window displays. I was also involved when Potters Music Shop Initiated a concert at Croydon’s Fairfield Hall
Called Music is Fun. To involve young people to learn to play instruments. We, Potters would hire them out to schools so everyone could have the chance to play. My late husband and myself designed the exhibition and all the graphics.
Potters was indeed very special.
Joy Wilcox.
(2019)
Comment
My father and Ted Potter played in The Diamond Trio totter along with my mum Doreen and Bobby Richards. I believe Ted Potter was my godfather.
Name
Jill Franco
(2022)
The reproduction of an advert for the Croydon branch (attached) is from Chris Groom’s book ‘Rockin’ and around Croydon’ published in August 1998 by Wombeat Publishing, PO Box 775, Purley, Surrey CR8 2ZY. The caption underneath it says: “Not just a place to buy instruments, Potter’s Music Shop was the place to buy records... and you could listen to them first!” Potter’s is also mentioned in the section on Croydon record shops that had listening booths: “Cloake’s had them, as did Potter’s Music on the Coombe Cross junction, before it became solely an instrument shop.”
Image from the film 'Let Him Have It' Although not the original shop but a mock up of Potter's which Derek Bentley brought the Kay Star 'Wheel of fortune' 78 plater. The record shop scene is in the first ten minutes.
Steve Potter, son of Ted Potter, provided this photo - to the website detailed below - of vibes player Lennie Best's quartet from the early 1960s with Ted Potter on drums, Trond Svennevig on bass, and Brian Dee on pino.
