Music lover and owner of the popular venue Spin Aberdeen Jim Sandison has died aged 72.
Tunnels and Drummonds music venues, which he previously owned, announced the sad news on their Facebook today.
Described as an “absolute legend in the Aberdeen music scene,” he owned several record shops over the years as well as two of the Granite City’s most-loved music venues; Tunnels and Café Drummond.
Six years ago, he took over Spin Aberdeen, a bar and venue on Littlejohn Street, which hosts music events, comedy nights, and weddings.
A life full of music
Jim started to collect vinyl records at the age of 14, creating a collection of nearly 200,000 records over a few years.
As he ran out of space to store them all, he decided to buy a site at Aberdeen’s Carnegie Brae, which he later transformed into a live music venue known today as Tunnels.
He was also the owner of The Cavern record shop and Café Drummond for several years.
He took over Spin Aberdeen, the Granite City’s only record shop, bar and venue, just before the pandemic.
The site, a nightlife hotspot, has a record shop located upstairs while downstairs is home to a bar and live venue space.
Tribute to Jim Sandison
Tunnels and Drummonds music venues have played a moving tribute to their “former co-owner, boss and friend.”
The tribute reads: “We are all devastated to hear the news that our former co-owner, boss and friend, Jim Sandison, sadly passed away this week.
“Jim was an absolute legend in the Aberdeen Music scene across Tunnels, Drummonds and Spin over so many years.
“We’ve had so many lovely messages from staff (old & new), bands and customers, that sum up the general feeling of how special he was to so many people.
“Our thoughts are with all of Jim’s family and friends. We’ll certainly raise a glass in memory of a truly brilliant man.”