- Sam Sniderman
Sam Sniderman C.M. (born
June 15 1920 ) is a Canadian entrepreneur best known as the founder ofSam the Record Man , the Canadian record store chain.Born in
Toronto, Ontario , he went toHarbord Collegiate Institute and started selling records in his brother Sidney's store, Sniderman Radio Sales and Service, in 1937. In 1959 he opened a second store at hisYonge Street location in Toronto. In 1969, he started franchising the store.He retired in 2000 and turned over ownership of the business to his sons, Bobby and Jason, and Sid's daughters Lana and Arna. The flagship Toronto store that bore his name closed in 2007 and its distinctive facade was declared a heritage site by the city.Girard, Daniel, "Ryerson ramps up plan to win Sam's site: Founder Sniderman backs expropriation bid to make his defunct store university's `front door', "
Toronto Star ", July 3, 2007]Following the closure, Sniderman expressed his support for
Ryerson University 's bid to expropriate the Yonge Street property if his children and nieces failed to negotiate a deal to sell the property to the university. In the end, Ryerson reached a deal to purchase the property from the family. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Ryerson acquires Sam's property and three others
work =
publisher =Ryerson University
date =2008-01-18
url =http://www.ryerson.ca/news/news/General_Public/20080118_RyeProperty.html
format =HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2008-01-20]Awards and honors
On
October 20 ,1976 , he was invested into theOrder of Canada . He was appointed to the Order's third tier, Member, for ""found [ing] the Recordings Archive Library at the University of Toronto, now the largest of its kind in Canada. For his constant support of Canadian talent and concern for the preservation of our cultural heritage". [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Samuel Sniderman, C.M.
work = Honours: Order of Canada
publisher =Governor General of Canada
date =2005-09-27
url = http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1582
format =HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-30]Sniderman was inducted into the
Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.Sam Sniderman himself remains an active participant in the Canadian music industry. Always a believer in the "more is more" philosophy, he established the Sniderman Sound Recording Archive at the University of Toronto's School of Music, ensuring that it’s "as big as possible."
His son
Jason Sniderman is a musician and was also an executive with Sam the Record Man.Sniderman spoke at the 2006
East Coast Music Awards .References
External links
Multmedia
* [http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/media/clip/6315/ CBC Archives] in a radio interview
Sam Sniderman (Sam the record man ) talks about his support for CANCON in 1971Web
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003248 Sam Sniderman] at
The Canadian Encyclopedia
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