About Us

Sometime about the turn of the century I realized that I could afford to get the records I never bought. These records weren't rare jazz or blues pressings, although Mississippi John Hurt's original Okeh sessions would certainly be a prize. Instead, I wanted to reproduce record collections I knew from years ago. Albums like Max Roach's "We Insist! Freedom Now Suite", Chico Hamilton's "Drumfusion" (both tough to find even in my college years), Sandy Bull, and Frummox's "Here To There" (an album which qualified as obscure even when it was released), and The Flying Burrito Brothers' "Gilded Palace of Sin" were on my list.

I wanted the albums for their connection to memories rather than for artistic merit, historical context, or collectible value. Besides, some album jackets, e.g., King Crimson's "Court of the Crimson King", Jethro Tull's "Stand Up", and Dave Mason's eponymous album with the marbleized record and double gatefold were inherently cool. (Hey! Even my mother thought Mason's album was cool.)

I started collecting records at garage and tag sales, but the more elusive albums required haunting eBay until someone told me about the Record Collectors Anonymous show.

Before going to the record show I wrote to sellers I'd met through eBay for advice. They replied that record shows were usually friendly, low key affairs — just make sure to look at records and jackets in good lighting and have some idea of an album's worth.

So informed I attended my first show in the old Amityville, New York American Legion Hall. I had a great time, but the few hours I allowed myself were definitely not enough. I attended several more shows until the April 2002 show was canceled because of Vickie Norell's death. (Vickie had run the show for 20 years.)

When I expressed my dismay to Howard, he suggested that I should take over the show. Clearly Howard was nuts (see below), but he offered to contact Vickie's son. One thing led to another and, with Liz contributing her public relations/business expertise and common sense, we put on our first show in September of 2002.

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When Liz was growing up listening to the Supremes, the Dave Clark Five, the Beach Boys and the Mamas and the Papas, she wondered why only young people seemed to like this kind of music. None of the adults she knew liked rock and roll music, and some even told her she would outgrow her fondness for it. She assumed that there must come a time in each person's life when their tastes changed, but wondered why that would happen.

As it turned out, her tastes did change--she learned about more kinds of music and liked them too--folk, rhythm and blues! She learned to appreciate the music her parents grew up on--show tunes and hits from the 40s as well as classical music. She has a substantial collection of LPs she has carted around with her from dwelling to dwelling, as well as 45s, 78s, tapes and CDs.