“Who are we if not our parents’ children?”
“Music was such a major force in my family. Both of my parents played a little guitar, my mother loved to sing and they had a great record collection too. I spent my childhood listening to Otis Redding, Etta James, Sam Cooke, CCR, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, ZZ Top, Beatles, Bob Seger, The Cars, Van Halen, Rod Stewart, James Taylor…I really could go on and on. From classic rock to rhythm and blues to country, I was introduced to so many influential artists by my parents.
I fell in love with music, and I’ve been playing ever since. I can easily say those records played a major part in shaping who I am. As a kid my dad would always have records playing and while I enjoyed them I never gave much thought to who was performing. Years later, I found out that it was almost exclusively Stevie Ray Vaughan. I attribute listening as a child to be the reason I’m so obsessed with him today.
Vinyl faded for a short period but when I was about 16. I pulled out their old record player again and set up a rudimentary stereo system in my bedroom. I liked the sound, and I liked the feeling of re-connecting to older music. From there, I started adding things as I could afford them—better stereo equipment, a better turntable, a nice cartridge, and, obviously, many more albums.
I collect modern releases as well, but my real love is in collecting albums that were originally released from the ’50s through the advent of the CD in the ’80s. Listening to late ’50s jazz or early ’60s gospel country on vinyl is a special experience. I enjoy the sense that I’m listening exactly the way the artists intended at the time—from a vinyl record, through a good stereo system. The particular warmth and surface noise of the format are a crucial part of the overall experience of music released during the age of vinyl’s prominence. Simply put, it just feels right.
Bottom line is, you can’t leave your kids an MP3, and we’ve already seen that CDs have not and will not stand the test of time. In an age where CDs and cassettes are obsolete and the world is streaming, only vinyl is holding its value. First time I heard The Beatles, Floyd, and Zeppelin were all on vinyl. My dad handed those albums down and I still own them and listen to them to this day.
Even the holidays aren’t right without spinning some old records. Every Christmas my mom will have holiday music playing on vinyl in our house from November through January, from “Rockin around the Christmas Tree” to Elvis’ Christmas albums. Vinyl is music in its truest form.”
—Jacob Shipman
The Cover Letter’s second EP, “Cities Made of Sand” is in stores now.
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PHOTO: ALEX GRAY
