Having served music lovers since 1885, Anthony D’Amato Records Shop in Valletta could be the world’s oldest record shop. Ronald Cassar turns up the volume on vinyl records and local music with William D’Amato.

Established in 1885, D’Amato Records has always been at the forefront of the local music scene. Ever since Giovanni D’Amato opened the record shop, it has kept its status as a family-run business.

“After five generations, D’Amato is probably the oldest surviving record shop in the world,” William D’Amato, himself one of the fifth generation, says.

After Giovanni, the shop was managed by Antonio D’Amato – the shop is named after him. He later changed the name to Anthony D’Amato and managed the shop for many years.

An Anthony d’Amato Records Shop sign hanging on St John Street in the 1960s.

The shop was then entrusted to William D’Amato, a hardworking young man, who looked after the business for about five decades, including the war years. The amiable and mild-mannered William, also known as ‘is-Sur Willie’, is still fondly remembered by many customers.

Today the company is run by the fourth and fifth generation of the family: brothers Anthony, John, Joseph and George, together with the younger generation, William, Anthony and Stephen.

The shop has survived hard times, particularly the two world wars. During World War II, most of the blocks on St John’s Street, Republic Street, St Lucy Street and Strait Street were mostly demolished. Fortunately, the shop was not damaged.

During those difficult years D’Amato Records Shop was run by William (father of Anthony, John, Joseph and George) with the help of his wife Mary. In the 1960s, the shop was passed on to his four sons.

In the 1930s, William, who had a strong business acumen, took the initiative to record the first ever Maltese songs on vinyl. At the time these were recorded in Milan by La Voce del Padrone (HMV) and were a huge success, so much so that they are still popular today.

Some of these songs included Ajma zaqqi kemm ksuħat, Xalata għal San Pawl, Kontradanza Maltija (Malta’s traditional dance), X’aħna sbieħ min jaf jarana, and many others. In the 1970s, William’s sons continued the trend and started recording more local songs. These were very popular and included Taxi Mary, which became an instant hit and sold around 12,000 copies, Tessie Ismagħni, Dawra mat-Tfajliet, Ħobbu d-Doggy and many more.

The front display of Anthony D’Amato Records Shop is an attraction to tourists visiting the capital city. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

At the time, the Savoy Cinema owners decided to develop a shopping centre. It was the right moment for the D’Amato brothers to take the opportunity of buying two shops to join them to the existing St John’s Street shop, making the premises more spacious for customers. The enlarged area also enabled D’Amato to keep a more extensive stock of vinyl and cassettes.

In fact, those days and the 1980s were the golden days of Maltese songs and artists, with more beat groups and singers coming to the fore. Groups like New Cuorey, Malta Bums, The Greenfields, The Tramps, The Followers, Freddie Portelli and the Black Train and many more became household names with Maltese music lovers in Malta, Australia and Canada.

“We have always given prominence to local artists,” William says. “At D’Amato, we ensure that any recording made by local artists is stocked and displayed prominently at our shop.

These were very popular and included Taxi Mary, which became an instant hit and sold around 12,000 copies

“A case in point is the success enjoyed by world famous tenor, Joseph Calleja. In fact, Universal (Decca) were surprised by the volume of sales achieved despite Malta being such a small market.”

However, with the evolution of technology, D’Amato and other record shops across the world experienced a turnaround in their fortunes.

The HMV sign is one of the most photographed landmarks in Valletta. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

In fact, it has been a difficult decade for record shops and D’Amato Records was no exception.

From streaming and downloads to home shopping and pirating, the internet has disrupted the distribution of music at all levels, from musicians to record labels. But the effects at the retail end have been particularly severe. Huge music chains worldwide folded and in the UK, from the 1,000-odd independent record shops that were in business in early 2000, fewer then 200 are still trading.

“The introduction of online shopping has negatively affected the music business. To combat this threat, we decided to lower profit margins in order to remain competitive,” William says. “We regularly offer even lower prices than online retailers. This could only be achieved by obtaining new deals from our suppliers abroad.”

As D’Amato Records are always looking forward to improve their position as one of the leading record shops in Europe, they are developing a company website to help customers to access stock items and eventually purchase them online.

D’Amato’s loyal clientele include third and fourth generation clients. Needless to say, D’Amato’s customers come from all walks of life and, more often than not, they discuss their musical preferences at the shop. Some recall their father or grandfather who used to collect their music from D’Amato.

Several avid foreign music collectors actually visit Malta especially to acquire their specialised musical requirements from D’Amato since these items are hard to get in their home country.

An advert by Anthony D’Amato published in the 1950s showing records and gramophones for sale.

Throughout the years D’Amato Records has seen thousands of customers, including prime ministers, ministers and many other distinguished foreign personalities such as Walter Matthau, Mark Lester, Joan Collins and Patsy Kensit and snooker legend Steve Davis.

An additional factor in D’Amato’s recent success was their appointment as the exclusive representatives in Malta for Naxos Records – the leading classical music company in the world. Their competitive prices have enabled the younger generation to take an interest in classical music.

Another D’Amato feature is the HMV sign on St John’s Street which ranks as one of the most photographed landmarks in Valletta. Tourists are fascinated by this sign, which has been hanging there for over six decades and which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Having withstood all those turbulent years, the future of Anthony D’Amato Records Shop looks bright as the fifth generation brings in new ideas and ventures, while still respecting the tradition of their forefathers.

“The recent revival of vinyl records or 33rpm records has fuelled the public’s enthusiasm for music. Together with the thousands of LPs which have remained in stock and with new frequent arrivals, vinyl is once again becoming a popular medium,” William says.

D’Amato has a history of providing excellent service to their numerous customers. The selection of CDs, LPs, and DVDs is very extensive and D’Amato will often manage to provide any title under the sun – even if it happens to be a very rare item.

Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi