Decoy Records

Name: Tony Burke
Comment: Long-lost Decoy Records, a great shop selling blues, jazz and world music.

Name: Brent Cunliffe
Comment: I worked here. Some great days. The staff were very knowledgeable and great guys - they had their Jack Black snooty 'High Fidelity' days but they had charm. Regular customers came from far and wide for those Yazoo and Document blues albums. Always up to date in the killer Jazz, Blues and the best Folk, Country and World music section in town.

Mike and Nick were the top guys and good people to work for. I recall Charlie Watts shopping here for Jazz records and his cheque being framed. The Stones were in town for one of their MEN arena gigs when Mr Watts graced the shop. Sadly following the IRA bombing and a massive rates increase its days were numbered. Nick did go on to open the short-lived Big Pink shop in the Northern Quarter and Mike has his fingers in many pies (Band On The Wall for one). Certainly one of the best and most missed Manchester record shops for many people.

Mike Harding used to visit almost every Friday and think nothing of dropping a hundred pounds on the latest Folk and Country records and I would deliver them to his office across town – I clearly recall him purchasing his first Bela Fleck record in wonderment after hearing it playing on the shop's turntable.

Name: Tony Burke
Comment: Decoy was one of my all-time favourite shops. Used to go in on Saturdays - upstairs to the blues and roots area. Nick and Mike were really great. They would play stuff for you and supported local gigs - they used to have a stall at most festivals such as Burnley Blues and Colne R&B.

Name: PeteCW
Comment: Decoy jazz records near Deansgate for eye-wateringly pricey John Zorn imports and Japanese acid jazz.

Comment: Good selection of reggae upstairs. Si was a great guy. I wonder what he's up to...
(23 February 2013)

Name: Mike from Liverpool
Comment: I endorse everything said - I went whenever I could but was out of work most times. They had world records when no-one in Liverpool had them. Now I am working and they are gone, so sad.
(9 September 2012)

Name: Richard
Comment: I went in regularly for jazz CDs in the 1990s. I swear that when I walked in Mike would put something on the stereo that he thought I'd like, which I often ended up buying. Cheaper than Virgin & HMV, and would order anything for you. He even came out with an ashtray once when our kid walked in smoking!
(3 February 2017)

Name: Andy Wilkinson
Comment: Great shop. Used to go in there lots in the early 1990s. I met Buddy Guy in there once and he signed my Damn Right I Got The Blues album - afternoon before he played the Free Trade Hall with John Campbell supporting (1991 - but I can't remember the exact date?)
(2020)

Name: Ken Jones
Comment: Mike introduced me to so much great music and always put something on that he knew I’d like. Got me into Vince Mendoza, David Blamires Group, Yellowjackets, Andrea Marcella, Pat Coil, etc etc etc. Can’t thank Mike enough. Nice bloke too.
(2020)

Name: Simon Galsworthy
Comment: I worked there for a few years before moving to Vinyl Exchange. I was in the Jazz section with Mike Chadwick. I sold lots of incredible music - Coltrane, Ayler, lots of ECM LPs. Those were very enjoyable times.
(2023)