Just spotted this on FB and thought I'd pass it on:
LOST RECORDS — PLEA FOR HELP
Around 3am last Saturday night in Exeter, my friend Craig Smith (aka the Funky Plumber) had his DJ box stolen just after playing at a bar in town. The contents represent the heart of one of the country (and the world)’s best funk 45 collections, not to mention plenty of killer soul rarities as well. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but this is just so sad. Craig is that breed of collector who has always completely ignored the less tasteful aspects of our scene — hype, status, politics etc — and just focused on amassing the music he’s loved for most of his life.
As you can imagine he’s absolutely devastated, so this is a plea for help: please keep your ear to the ground in case it comes up for sale or surfaces in any other way. It’s instantly recognisable, since many of the records are known only by a small handful of copies — Andrew Brown on Brave, Black Exotics on United, Soul Authority Unlimited, Willie Wright, Earl Carter, Brass Horizon, Henderson and Jones, Delores Ealy - Honeydripper, Black Soul Express, Georgia Soul Twisters on Waxwing, etc etc. Please contact Craig directly — funkyplumber@gmail.com — if you know anything at all. And please share / pass this on as much as possible; the wider the net, the better the chance of getting them back.