An interview with rare soul dealer John Manship.

In our latest episode of ‘Vinyl for the Apocalypse’ we talk to Melton Mowbray  based record auctioneer and vinyl expert, John Manship.

John is first and foremost a lover of black music in particular the 4 big collectibles Soul, Blues, Jazz and Doo wop but is best known as a world renowned Soul specializing record dealer and auctioneer. 

With more than 50 years under his belt buying and selling and an ownership of more than 4 million records housed under lock and key at several locations across the UK, what this guy doesnt know about records, ain’t really worth knowing.

John kindly agreed to chat to me about his profession and shared some of his favourite albums and 45s along the way.

If you haven’t seen John’s You Tube videos then let me paint you a picture - much like a highly skilled casino croupier dealing cards, John deals records from a myriad of vinyl filing systems with each record having been carefully checked and restored to its former glory. 

It’s this that makes me think our Zoom call will show him surrounded by the records that define him. In fact, there’s a slight delay with John telling me he’s just got to finish off another call regarding some ‘legal matters’.  It turns out the delay is because John’s other love is Melton Town Football club. 

To my surprise he is sitting in what appears to be somewhere in the heart of his home with ornamental glassware on shelves behind him. With his black rimmed glasses and shaved head, John could easily remind you of the steely eyed bond villain, General Orlov, a bespectacled version. Instead of being stern and scary he is the exact opposite. He speaks with the same love, enthusiasm and soul as the classic vinyl singles he specialises in. 

My brother was part of the Melton mod crew back in the 60s, they loved their soul music and they all had records, too many,  soon that was me and I became addicted to records and had too many and soon I was selling as well.

Digging for vinyl is like fishing, you just never know what you are going to find.

I’ve been and continue to dig through charity shops and I’ve also gone through many warehouses in America.  There was one soul record I’d been after for decades, and suddenly it appeared in a record collection in Reykjavik, Iceland of all places.  

 I love looking at collections and my rule to any budding buyers is if you want 40% of a collection buy all of it. 

25 years ago I started doing auctions through the mail and by telephone and also offered services like taking people’s emails if they wanted a record I didn’t have and then as soon as I had one I’d email them. 

Every Wednesday John sells records internationally for thousands of pounds, and famously auctioned the only playable first pressing of Frank Wilson’s Do I love you for £27,000.

I ask him why is it worth people buying vinyl for investment as well as to listen?

 Buying records is like buying property - you start with some terraced houses before moving onto semis if you keep this up you’ll soon end up with the detached property you want. It’s important to always keep digging when you are a vinyl collector especially if you’re looking for rarities. And always remember, the more you look the luckier you get.

Manship is also aware that his world is not just a music lover's paradise - there are rip off artists, counterfeiters and people who claim refunds before swapping the records they buy with poor graded replacements. John is a force for good against the rip off artists and teaches record enthusiasts how to spot the fakes and the phoneys via his youtube channel and explains that typically online scammers go into too much detail.

I ask John my usual question of if there was an impending apocalypse and he could escape with 5 albums, what would he take? Immediately I realise I’ve made a mistake as John is a 45 specialist and tells me he’s more of a singles fan. But like the gent he is, he indulges me anyway:    

But really John likes his turntable a little bit faster. I increasingly find my own singles collection getting bigger than my LPs and mostly with soul. Here are John’s 45 must haves:

John Manship is a man who through his channel has already taught me how to remove stickers and other vinyl disfigurements, even how to dewarp and repair cracked records.  He has a passion for helping others learn about the true craft of pro level vinyl record ownership. Of everyone I have met in the record business, John stands at the top in terms of knowledge, expertise and passion - a true inspiration in the revolving world of records. 

However, he’s also aware that record buying is very much an addiction - an addiction that has made him wealthy but an addiction nonetheless. He tells me it’s an illness, 100%. With a wry smile he says that he dreams of some lottery winner coming to buy his entire collection so that he can go fishing. But then again, he adds, that he’d probably still go digging.

Manship seems like a down to earth man who likes the simple things; his football, his music and his black sheep ale. Like a blacksmith on his smithy,  a watchmaker with his spyglass or a wine taster tasting. He is a vinyl expert at the very top of his profession.

Manship’s British Soul Vinyl Guide edition 2 is now available to buy but limited to just 1000 copies. You can find it here. 

END