Sylvia Tyson on the Sam The Record Man Sign:
September 18th, 2013
“When I first moved to Toronto in the early sixties, the Sam’s sign was like a beacon for someone coming from a small Ontario town where record stores were non-existent, where I had to go to Detroit to buy my very first single, Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” and the only folk music I could listen to was on once a week on CBC radio with Alan Mills.
Sam stocked and kept even the most obscure recordings and his remainder bins were famous not just in Toronto, but with musicians from everywhere who made Sam the Record Man a prime destination whenever they played in town. I still have LPs I bought back then and am gradually transferring them to digital so that I can reacquaint myself with old favorites, scratches and all. Sam himself was a constant presence, getting to know all of us and encouraging us to come back and hang out. He loved music and musicians and even his staff were music aficionados who could quickly locate any record you wanted.
The Sam’s sign is as much a piece of Toronto history as any historical building and has deep significance to musicians and music fans alike. We have lost too many iconic Toronto symbols. The old Pilot Tavern sign comes to mind. Let’s not lose another.”
– Sylvia Tyson
Use our campaign tool to stand up for Toronto’s cultural heritage by emailing your city councillor and urging a solution that will ensure the sign is properly restored, maintained and mounted so that it can be enjoyed by the public.
