RECORD Store Day is coming up this Saturday - April 13 - and hundreds of shops all over the UK are getting involved by celebrating with a programme of music, performed live or DJ'd, by local musicians and well known faces.

Special vinyl releases are made exclusive for the day and thousands more shops celebrate the day around the globe in what’s become one of the biggest annual events on the music calendar.

Halstead Gazette:

Sandra Bennett, proprietor of Fives Records, Leigh, told the Echo the annual event has really helped independent stores, and is now the busiest single day of the year for them, even surpassing Christmas Eve.

We asked some of the local music buying public which was their favourite independent record store. As well as championing their preferred haunt, record shop lovers were also keen to give a nod to shops of the past, namely Gumby's Records, which used to be in York Road Market, Southend.

Here were the top five (still standing) local shops:

1 South Records, Queen's Road, Southend

This shop is a firm favourite of local record buyers. The shop, which opened in 2014, says it "buys and sells new and used vinyl and CDs (only the good ones though)."

Customer Ray Morgan, from Leigh, said South is her favourite store because of its "brilliant choice, top service and a joyous weekly newsletter that inspires me to listen to new music".

South Records will be celebrating Record Store Day this Saturday by having DJs all day (Tom Burgess, Micky Denny, Roy Thirlwall, Andrew Moore, Dean Crawley, and more). The first 20 people in the queue will be getting an exclusive Record Store Day cotton tote bag designed by Fred Perry. And the shop also promises a massive amount of exclusive releases - close to 300 (of only the best releases). Proprietor Richard Onslow added: "And we have the debut single by Sin Music available too - the only shop in the country stocking it".

2. Fives Records, Broadway, Leigh

This has been a family run business since 1977. It sells new records and CDs. Customer Daryl Easlea from Leigh, said: "You have to admire any record shop that survives in this current climate. I love Fives because it reminds me of record shops when I was a kid. That’s because it was one of the record shops I went to as a kid!"

Fives will be celebrating the day with what has now become a traditional programme hosted by the Middle Age Spread DJs, called Spread on 45s. This year they celebrate 90 years of Decca Records, by incorporating live performed Decca covers or played Decca 45s, during sets. Set up for the day from 8am, with a 20 minute turnaround each, are: Daryl Easlea; Jules Easlea; Graham James Brown; Daniel Newman; DC Morgan; Stephen Hastings; Alastair Johnson; Dave Collins; Tim Larke; Grant Philpott; Slack Daddy and the Snowflakes (LIVE); Ian Pile; T-Bitch (LIVE); Daryl Easlea; Alien (LIVE); Tuppenny Bunters (DJ set); Scarlett Taylor (LIVE); Jo Kendall and Danny Corr; Angel and the Melodyhorns (LIVE); Mark Lancaster; F\gurehead (LIVE); Alastair Johnson; Urban Allstars; Adam Hasan and Daryl Easlea.

3. Carmel Records, London Road, Westcliff

It may be tiny but the selection is huge. It's truly an Aladdin's Cave run by the well respected Paul Depsy, and a piece of musical paradise for many a serious record collector and DJs. In 2012 in a piece in the Telegraph, fashion designer and co-founder of the Vintage Festival Wayne Hemingway, noted it as being one of Britain's top five best records stores to pick up vintage vinyl. Customer and DJ, Sean Moriarty from Westcliff, said Carmel Records is a "well established sound tardis of fair priced golden oldies and obscurities".

4. Leigh Record Exchange, London Road, Leigh.

Leigh Record Exchange has been trading in new and secondhand records, vinyl, cd’s, rare albums and pop memorabilia for over 35 years. It has huge stock and changes daily!

Customer Paul Hughes, from Leigh, who is also a music lover and photographer, said: "Leigh Record Exchange is always my first choice locally."

5. Adrian's Records, High Street, Wickford

This purveyor of vinyl, CD's and DVD's says "We've got it all... new, old, rare and collectible." For Record Store Day this Saturday the shop will be open from 8am until 5:30pm. Benfleet man Eddie Bammeke, who divides his time between Southend and Greece, says when he is back in Essex it's one of his favourite record shops.