Johnny Marr honoured as ‘Record Store Legend’ with Manchester plaque for Record Store Day 2025

Johnny Marr will be honoured as a ‘Record Store Legend’ with a Manchester plaque for Record Store Day 2025.

• READ MORE: Johnny Marr: “Bangers? They’re not to be sniffed at”

The guitarist, songwriter, soloist and former Smiths legend will be awarded the accolade for his “enduring influence on music and his unwavering support for independent record stores worldwide, as well as the love and admiration for Marr and his music that comes from record stores themselves.

To honour Marr, a plaque has been unveiled at the guitarist’s favourite record shop, Manchester’s Piccadilly Records. He’ll become the second recipient of the reward, following Elton John‘s crowning in 2017 to celebrate RSD’s 10th birthday.

Speaking about the achievement, Marr said: “Going out to a record store, it’s a nice pastime. It’s a part of the culture, if they were to completely disappear, the high street or the city centre would be a much worse off place. There’s something about the presence of a record store. It’s a magical thing. I’ve known the staff in Piccadilly Records for 20 years…this plaque is a very nice thing to be associated with.”

Meanwhile, Piccadilly Records’ Andy McQueen said: “Johnny Marr is our favourite living artist and his music has soundtracked our lives for over forty years. To be associated with him in this beautiful way; well, the pleasure, the privilege is ours.”

This year’s Record Store Day will return for its 18th edition on April 12, with hundreds of exclusive releases made available on a first-come-first-served basis at over 270 independent record shops across the UK and as well as thousands more globally.

Alongside Marr’s own exclusive release ‘Look Out Live!’, a double orange vinyl LP recording of his Hammersmith Apollo show last year, releases also include Oasis, who will release a best of collection ‘Time Flies… (1994-2009)’ available on vinyl for the first time with remastered audio and completely new packaging.

Taylor Swift’s exclusive 7″ white vinyl of ‘Fortnight’, Gorillaz’s double red vinyl LP of ‘Demon Days Live From the Apollo Theatre’, The Cure’s picture disc of ‘Head On The Door’, Charli XCX’s silver picture disc of ‘Number One Angel’, a double silver LP of Lou Reed’s classic ‘Metal Machine Music’, The Hives’ Tyrannosaurus Hives’ on gold and white vinyl, and 12″ of the demos and live tracks from Air’s seminal ‘Moon Safari’ will also be available to purchase only on Record Store Day.

Find a full list of RSD 2025 releases here.

In other news, 2024 saw vinyl and physical record sales hit a 20 year high, despite the fact “beneath the surface, most UK artists earn far below average salaries”.

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