Don Christie Records

Comments

Comment: It used to be on a side street down the side of the rag market, there's a brief glimpse of it on The South Bank Show's UB40 special. The main guy who used to work there was a rasta chap name Ezra. You used to be able to hear the windows shaking with the bass from the bus station across the road!

Name: Mal C
Comment: I collected a lot of house in the 1980s up until 1992, and the place to buy that early on was Don Christie's, which was always an experience for a white kid, proper record shop where they would play that weekend's new releases, and you knodded when you liked it and they flung it on your pile... Don was known for reggae and was the place for the Black community in brum.

Name: Jim Stamps
Comment: Used to buy my reggae records here. In the 1970s.
(4 August 2014)

Name: Alfie Gardner
Comment: Loved this place, it was loud, I used to get my hip hop imports from here, I would spend a week's wage on tunes easily, £150 back then, I'd come home with 10 LPs...
(2018)

Name: Bob King
Comment: The good old days before I was driving, I’d visit Don Christie's in Ladypool Road to buy my reggae... it always smelled of cannabis inside. Got some gems tho'… Kingston Town by the Lord Creator & Guilty by Tiger… still got them. Used to go to Greens Records afterwards to see what new dance stuff was around… still see John Corbett from time to time. I’d then take a stroll down the Stratford Road and go in all the junk shops to see if I could find any oldies I was after… good old times.
(1 February 2015)

Name: Alan Garner
Comment: Had big problems getting reggae of any description ordered here in Northampton, and Don Christie’s in Brum was the absolute place to go, the atmosphere, smell and sound were absolute Reggae heaven!
(2022)

Name: DC Chauhan
Comment: Every Saturday morning to spend me wages… Miss that place.

Andy Martini

06 Jun 2023 at 09:31

Wasn't it hardcore DJ Shock-C who thrashed out the tunes downstairs? I got most of my Belgium techno from DCs. Great place, sadly missed. T'was always very loud with all sorts of music, and the best ever chippy+donut place just around the corner next to where Summit Records used to be...happy dayz!

Camilla Phillips

06 Jun 2023 at 09:35

I used to visit Don Christie's shop every Saturday at the bottom of Ladypool Road to buy records. My dad had lots of Blues parties. I went there from the age of 10 years, that would have been 1970 till it moved to the city centre at the side of the rag market. He always looked after me, as soon as I went in with my list he would sort it out and order in from Jamaica when needed. The atmosphere in the shop was amazing, I loved going there. Because I was so young everyone was very kind, loved it.

Dave Harwood

04 May 2024 at 01:15

I found this advert in the 'Birmingham Mail' dated 14th January 1988: “DON CHRISTIE Records requires a person knowledgeable in Reggae and Soul. The person must able to work under his or her initiative. Tel. 622 5420.”

Trevor (part owner of Don Christie’s with Ezra)

09 May 2024 at 08:58

I Trevor Junior of Don Christie’s is/was part owner of Don Christie Records when Don called both myself and Ezra to sign an agreed document on this! As for main man after Don I was the one who turned records/stock into money to keep that shop next to the Bullring going! Ezra only got the stock and I with the late Everton Jacobs, & GT, & various DJs who contributed to our Jungle music downstairs! I left before it went into liquidation still part owner and I’ll leave the rest for another day!

Laban

03 Jul 2024 at 10:59

One hundred and eighty four (?) Ladypool Road,
Will get you Don Christie, the man at the controls,
Reggae, Bluebeat or Lover's Rock
Come to Don Christie, the record shop for youuuuuu..."

The BRMB jingle was something along those lines.

Don Christie for music, Saleems for curry...

Andrew

19 Jul 2024 at 05:45

It's good to have experienced great times back in the day. I still have record lists of the charts of the day. I have most of the reggae and soul I bought also. Happy days I look back on often LOL

Brockney C

31 Jul 2024 at 11:26

Fond memories of Don's as a kid then as a teenager, the best for the Lover's Rock and Bashment then they opened downstairs for the Rave and Jungle sounds... Serious soundsystem bizniss in there as well!! 🔈🔉🔊💥💥💥💥

EJP - Keele DJ

16 Nov 2024 at 05:20

It was the best place to buy imports from the US in the 1990s. Keith Sweat, Bobby Brown, Encore - it was my fix of heaven on a Saturday morning or during term break to buy the latest hits to bring back to Uni and play with my mates at some of the craziest and fun parties. Miss that feeling and miss that time so much!

Dave Harwood

06 Dec 2024 at 07:35

I found this address in the 'Birmingham Weekly Mercury' dated 7th October 1990:
“Don Christie Records 10-12 Gloucester St., City Centre, Birmingham. 021-622 5420.”

Paddy

24 Apr 2025 at 10:09

Used to go to Don Christie Records every week, always the first for white label imports. Met Shaggy there as he was promoting Boombastic, Connie G who was DJ in Wolves, and bumped into Ezra in some of the warehouses on Constitution Hill. Those were the days!