Hinckley, UK | ‘He was one of the good guys, and he was my friend.’ Hinckley says goodbye to Nervous Records’ Gordon Hayes: Dozens of people came down to say goodbye to the legendary record store owner. The people of Hinckley gathered today to say goodbye to one of the town’s most beloved figures – record shop owner Gordon Hayes. Gordon, who owed Nervous Records, passed away at the age of 70 in mid-January, leaving behind a legacy in the heart of Hinckley which spanned generations. He opened his record store in 1978 after the shop underneath his flat on The Lawns was put up for sale just as he received backpay from the dole office. He already had the idea of opening his own record shop, and being able to buy the premises below his flat was a match made in heaven. What started with a hefty record collection and a passion for music turned into 45 years of trade which spanned the rise of cassettes, CDs, downloads, streaming and the return of vinyl.
Sussex, UK | New record shop in Bognor Regis is Top of the Pops: Vinyl’s back in vogue in Bognor Regis, following the opening of an all new record shop on Linden Road. Straikes Vinyl Records threw open its doors on February 28 and, since then, trade has defied expectations, with customers young and old flicking through pre-loved music and rediscovering old favourites. “It’s been amazing. Really really good,” said owner Stephen Napier-Raikes. “It’s beat all my expectations. It’s really good because, if you’re a good record shop, people will find you. But this is a really good location, with a lot of passing trade. That’s why I spent such a long time looking for the right spot.” A former painter and decorator, Mr Napier-Raikes owned a previous record shop some twelve years ago, and has spent a great deal of his life buying, selling, trading and cultivating a passion for vinyl records. “Vinyl has always been this background part of my life. I’ve worked as a builder and a decorator most of my career, but I’m 60 now and I’ve had enough of that life – or my body has anyway – and this is the only other thing that I can draw on.”
Savannah, GA | Savannah’s Bad Obsession Records spinning much more than music: New business giving back to Savannah community: A record store in Savannah is making a big impact in the community. Bad Obsession Records is about much more than music. “I wanted a sanctuary of music, art and coffee.” Chris Benvie has found that sanctuary on Savannah’s southside. Benvie is owner of Bad Obsession Record and his shop on Abercorn Street is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. “This is the formation of my dream I’ve had since I was 12 years old with a love of music,” explains Benvie. But beyond the racks of records, CD’s and cassettes, this New England transplant, using his store to help his new home. Each month, Benvie spotlights a different artist, their works placed in the shop for customers to admire and even purchase. “You never know who’s going to walk through the door here and will see one of the paintings you have up,” says Benvie. “You might have a customer for life but without that opportunity to showcase your work, you would never know.”
Ventura, CA | Teens and their new love for vinyl: Vinyl sales are up and it’s not because older generations are trying to relive their teenage years. From discographies of Harry Styles to Metallica, vinyl sales are up 22% in 2022, thanks to the revival of physical forms of music listening and their trends. The evolution of music has currently found its way to a digital form of listening known as streaming. But like any decades-old trend, vinyl has found itself back on the shelves. For the first time in many years, vinyl records (vinyl) have outsold compact discs (CDs). Vinyls now make up over 50% of all physical album sales, while other forms such as CDs, cassette tapes and 8-track tapes make up the other half. This begs the question: who is the new demographic of these vinyls? It turns out that today’s teens have started the resurgence of vinyl in pop culture. Avid music enthusiast Aiden Connelly ‘23 described, “Usually we go into record stores and we’d be the only ones in the shop, we could be in there for hours. Now we go in there and there’s like 15 people.”
St, Portland, OR | Good news from Terry Currier and Music Millennium: Terry Currier is back after our long pandemic nightmare with some great news about Music Millennium. I’ve got good news today. After a few years of bad news in the music industry, there have been many musicians who have lately told me that they’re gigging more than ever. Now here comes Terry Currier who runs Music Millennium with similar good news. He’ll tell us all about it. It’s always good to sit down and talk with Terry. He’s been an immensely valuable member of the Oregon music industry for decades. Coming up on Thursday, March 16 Music Millennium will celebrate its fifty-fourth anniversary. There’s nothing quite like browsing in a record store. Welcome back Terry Currier.
St. Louis, MO | Tom ‘Papa’ Ray Speaks Out After KDHX Firing: After more than 30 years on air, the Vintage Vinyl owner was let go from his volunteer position Tuesday. After more than 30 years behind the microphone, Vintage Vinyl record store owner Tom “Papa” Ray will no longer DJ on the community radio station KDHX (88.1 FM). Ray hosted the show Soul Selector, highlighting soul, blues and R&B on Mondays from 4 to 7 p.m. Ray announced his departure from the station on Facebook, saying he was fired on a Zoom call with KDHX executive director Kelly Wells. Ray said in the post that his firing stemmed from his disagreements with and criticism of Wells. Ray tells the RFT that his discord with Wells was long in the making. Last August, longtime KDHX host John McHenry passed away. For almost 30 years McHenry had hosted the station’s Blursday rhythm and blues program. But, Ray says, after McHenry died at age 75, weeks passed without the station issuing any sort of statement or memorialization. Ray says that he sent Wells a “terse” email about what he saw as an oversight and was told that she would only meet with him if a consultant acting as a neutral facilitator was present.
Scorpions To Reissue 12 Albums On Colored Vinyl: Saying that Scorpions can look back on an eventful history as a band would be an understatement. Their spectacular story is now becoming a new and very colorful experience: With “Scorpions – Colours Of Rock”, BMG is announcing the reissue of 12 album highlights by the legendary German hard rock band who have shaped the music world — now appearing on colored vinyl. Alongside versions of “Fly To The Rainbow”, “In Trance”, “Virgin Killer” and “Humanity (Hour 1)”, remastered for the first time ever, are further handpicked treasures including “Savage Amusement”, “World Wide Live”, “Love At First Sting”, “Blackout”, “Animal Magnetism”, “Lovedrive”, “Tokyo Tapes” and “Taken By Force”.
