April 13, 2009 14:53

Smiths man leads tributes to late Manchester music legend

Johnny Roadhouse passed away on Saturday (April 11) aged 88

The Smiths drummer Mike Joyce has paid tribute to Manchester music legend Johnny Roadhouse, who died aged 88 on Saturday (April 11) following a short illness.

A former collaborator with Elton John, the saxophonist owned the city's famous Johnny Roadhouse Music store on Oxford Road

"Every single band in Manchester has gone through Johnny Roadhouse Music at some stage - it's impossible not to," Joyce told the Manchester Evening News.

"Music shops come and go, but Johnny Roadhouse stays. It's synonymous with Manchester music," he added.

'Celebrity Big Brother' runner up Terry Christian added that Roadhouse was a Mancunian "institution".

"All the biggest bands have been through those doors since the days when 'Top Of The Pops' was made in the city," he commented to the newspaper.

The Beatles' Paul McCartney was a regular customer at the shop, which was also immortalised in Oasis' LS Lowry-inspired video for b-side 'The Masterplan'.

The store appears at 4.48 in the video, which can which can be viewed below.