Robert
Conceived years ago, in my personal secret files of my mind, I have been and continue to visualize and create what would eventually be named Black Vinyl Stories. From the prior personal experiences of working in and managing record stores in the 70’s, visiting hundreds of record stores throughout North America over the past three decades and during those visits talking with many of those record store owners…..I knew there were stories to be captured, shared and I wanted to do it. For decades this has been bouncing around in my thoughts, how would I do this. What weighed on me, these owners and stores had amazing stories, if they were not captured, they would be lost forever.
Although I earlier reference the secret areas of my mind, I have been sharing this idea of mine with my family and a few close cherished nonjudgmental friends who are all willing to listen to my crazy passions I one day wanted to pursue. Stepping away from my professional career has provided me with the time to dwell and bring plans together to launch Black Vinyl Stories.
What does that mean? This freedom from stepping away from my professional career has transitioned me from dreaming to execution. I’m now constantly thinking about solidifying the mission and physical imagery details of Black Vinyl Stories without the interruptions of traditional work. Although I enjoyed my 34+ years in the Consumer Package Goods industry it is now time to apply my attention, creativity and energy to the creation of Black Vinyl Stories. I’m super excited, enthused and in a strange way self-inspired about today, tomorrow and the future of Black Vinyl Stories.
I vividly recall the earlier days when I was in my early teenage years, of all things a paperboy, and yet a believer in inspiration through the consumption of music….listening to music. Here’s one story that comes to mind. On Saturdays, I would collect the weekly payments, for the papers I delivered, from each of my customers that week. Once finishing the Saturday collection activity, I would turn my work bicycle into a fast-moving transportation instrument, peddling like a maniac, off curbs and through the alleys and streets on a direct path to the record store.
Once arriving, it was now the meticulous next steps to decide what album was I going to buy that day.
Today I still recall the overwhelming positive energy that overcame me every time I walked through that record store door in my teenage years. The sight of the record bins stuffed full of vinyl, the music drifting from the record player platter and filling the store, the smell of the sandalwood incense burning with customer shopping with their faces buried in the record bins and their fingers flicking through those albums with the speed of an accomplished keyboard player. I have arrived! And, will now spend the next couple of hours looking at and studying each and every album in those record bins going through all genres from the creative beats of Reggae, the storytelling of Folk, to the heavy guitars and drumming of Metal. Yes, I did see those same albums last week but hmm maybe I missed something on it and should take another look. I was home.
The highpoint of the day was the thrill of finally deciding on that one specific album I would take home with me that day.
This was the core of my personal culture; I would not realize it for decades but when I did and that realization is what is motivating me to create and launch Black Vinyl Stories.
There is so much more, come join the Black Vinyl Stories journey with me.