Bob's record shop in Detroit

[G F]

I just came across this snap of me in Bob's place - it was probably taken in the late 1990s.

I'm surprised Bob hasn't got a cigarette in his mouth - the place (on the north side of 8 Mile Road, AKA 102) reeked of smoke.

He had some gems. Anyone else here ever go?

[Swifty]

Did you find much matey ?

[G F]

I bought quite a few as Bob's prices were decent - he had a load of Juanita Williams on Golden World that were just a few dollars each - but I didn't buy anything rare. He used to put the rarer records aside for some UK dealers - I recall him having Larry Wright, but he was saving it for Shifty, who had given him his wants list. I actually sold him some 45s. He had a basic turntable, so you could play any records you didn't know. Bob was a nice guy.

[Weingarden]

I was there and at his house nearby hundreds of times and bought thousands of records from him. Really miss him.

[G F]

7 hours ago, Weingarden said:

I was there and at his house nearby hundreds of times and bought thousands of records from him. Really miss him.

What was your best purchase, Matt?

[Frankie Crocker]

9 hours ago, Weingarden said:

I was there and at his house nearby hundreds of times and bought thousands of records from him. Really miss him.

Yes Matt. One time you were there, I was too. You were sampling away and played Alice Clark - Hit Me. I hoped you were going to leave it but it went in your stack to take away. The experience made me put Alice Clark towards the top of the Wants List and it was soon ticked off.

[Frankie Crocker]

Although it’s a bit of a blur, I was record hunting in Detroit in 1995, 1996 and 1997 making it to Bob’s several times. A few of the more memorable finds were Dana Valery on Columbia red issue, Jack Montgomery on Barracuda, Connie Questel Give Up Girl on Decca issue and Combinations on Solid Rock. The last record was only VG- but Bob said he had a mint copy someplace which he mailed to me. Bob had quantity of green label Mutt records so I took a couple of Majestees and Carol Jones. The trick with Bob was you had to hang around to dig and dig, then after a while, he’d pull something out from under the counter and say ‘here’s something you might be interested in’. Bob’s store was an Aladdin’s Cave of records, had a leaky roof and was clouded by cigarette smoke as he chain smoked. Again, it’s a blur, but visits to Detroit in 2001 and 2002 were not terribly rewarding as some stores had gone and pickings were thin on the ground.

[Weingarden]

59 minutes ago, Frankie Crocker said:

Yes Matt. One time you were there, I was too. You were sampling away and played Alice Clark - Hit Me. I hoped you were going to leave it but it went in your stack to take away. The experience made me put Alice Clark towards the top of the Wants List and it was soon ticked off.

Wow!! Stock copy, as I recall. I ended up trading that to Greg Tormo. Wish I still had it.

 

Edited February 26 by Weingarden

[Weingarden]

3 hours ago, G F said:

What was your best purchase, Matt?

The ones that stand out in my memory, though not necessarily the rarest or best, are all of the Mutts (except Dusty Wilson), most in quantity...and just tons of oddball Detroit things.