Record Store Days: Ken Meets the Stars

For nearly 20 years I worked at record stores.
It was in 1977,  which must seem like ancient history for some,  when I began working at a store known as Music Stop.  I was hired on as Christmas help.  Then it was in 1980 that I started working at Record Outlet.  And in 1989 I was at Record Time.  I remained with RT until 1996 when I left retail completely. 
Working at a record store during the 1970s through the early 1990s was great fun.  I witnessed albums,  8-track tapes,  and cassettes all selling side by side,  then the fall of the 8-track tape,  the failed attempt of the cassingle,  the beginnings of CDs,  and finally the fall of the vinyl record album  (which,  I hear,  is making a comeback).
I worked my way from being on the sales floor helping customers to stocking the shelves and bins to running the register to becoming a buyer  (my favorite position),  and then store manager.  I hired and fired.  I bought and sold.  I made great customer friends,  some of which have lasted to this day.
And my musical horizon expanded greatly.  Of course,  with sisters who,  in the later 1960s and well into the 1970s,  mainly listened to hit radio,  folk,  groovy hits,  some rock,  and the more pop sound of music,  brothers who listened to what was called FM rock,  acid rock,  underground music,  or progressive rock,  and my mother who listed to country and my father who listened to big band,  along with a grandfather who listened to opera and classical,  I kind of already had a pretty good mix of a musical background going for me.
So my album collection grew,  especially when I became a buyer and the record companies such as Warner Brothers,  MCA,  RCA,  Capitol,  and others would send me free promotional copies of new releases weekly to play in the store to help generate sales.
One of the best things for me,  however,  about working in a record store was when I would get the opportunity to meet my favorite performers,  whether in the store itself or with a backstage concert pass given to me by a record company sales rep.
And that's what today's posting is all about:  the opportunities I had to meet some of my favorite  (and not so favorite)  musicians.
I believe the first  "big"  musician I ever met was Ted Nugent,  back in 1979.  He was being interviewed at our local FM rock station,  WABX,  and a few of us from school drove what seemed like forever to try and catch him before he left the building,  which we did.  He was very kind and happily signed autographs for us  (I seemed to have misplaced mine,  though I have an idea where it is).
No cell phones - no pictures,  and I didn't have a camera with me at the time.
Ah,  but I believe it was in the fall of that same year that I met Rupert Holmes when he did an  'instore'  at Record Outlet,  the second record store I worked at.  His hits at the time were  "Escape  (The Pina Coladas Song)"  and  "Him."  Both were pretty big hits in  '79,  though I remembered him from when he was in The Buoys and sang  "Timothy"  back in 1971.
It was not long after that the local Detroit group,  The Romantics,  who had just released their second album  ("National Breakout")  came a-visiting.  They were coming off of their own actual national breakout  from a few months earlier with the hit,  "What I Like About You."

The Romantics in the back office at Record Outlet in 1981.
Yep---I took this picture.

Later in 1981,  Record Outlet hosted an in-store with  "Quarterflash,"  a group with great promise but,  for some reason,  one that didn't really go too far beyond their first album.  I'm sure you will remember  "Harden My Heart"  and  "Find Another Fool,"  both big hits from their debut album.

Members of Quarterflash are surrounded by Record Outlet employees: 
that's Rindy Ross up front and center,  her husband directly behind her 
in the back,  and another bandmate to her left.
Can you find where I am in this picture?
I'm the guy with the coolest shirt.

John Cougar Mellencamp came visiting our Royal Oak Record Outlet - his latest hit at the time was Jack and Diane.  I need to find the pictures I took that day.  Again,  he was extremely kind.

Let's jump up to 1984,  and  'Shout at the Devil'  by Motley Crue was a monster-selling album.  Elektra Records came up with the brilliant idea of having the group come to our store and meet a few fans and sign a few autographs:

Just a few fans showed up,  as you can see.
The group and Elektra decided it would not be a safe bet to have 
Vince Neil and the boys come out of the back room.
Can you see why?

Meanwhile,  in our back office...

Though I didn't get my picture taken with them,  I was there and met each Crue member.  Nice guys,  actually.

 But the in-store really wasn't the best of ideas,  as you can see here.

Ah...memories...of a store torn apart from thousands of 
Motley Crue fans who didn't get to meet their favorite group.

Next - - - - - - -

Here it is,  May 18,  1985.  My wife and I had just returned from honeymooning in Nashville and Gatlinburg in Tennessee.  Both of us were very big country music fans and had a passion for the south because of it.  We loved Loretta Lynn,  Merle Haggard,  Hank Williams Jr and Sr,  George Strait,  Charly McClain,  Janie Fricke,  Randy Travis,  and all of the greats of the 1970s and 80s,  so heading to the Country Capitol - Music City USA - for our honeymoon was a no brainer.

Imagine my surprise when I received a phone the day we returned telling me that Warner Brothers Music had a couple of free tickets for my bride and I to see Crystal Gayle that very night at the local Premier Center club!
Away we went that evening,  received our tickets and found our seats.  Crystal came out and sang all of her hits,  including  "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,"  "Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For,"  and even  "Just You and I."
It was during her set that a woman came up to us and gave us the name of the last song that Crystal was going to sing and said to go to  "those doors over there"  when she completed the song.
We did,  and guess what?

Yep - here is my brand new wife,  married for only a week,  and I flanking Crystal Gayle on the evening of May 18,  1985.  She was so kind - she even congratulated us on our marriage!  She was much shorter than I anticipated,  by the way.  If you look at the above picture,  I am around 5' 7"  and my wife is barely 5'  here.  Crystal was in high heels and was still shorter than me!  But,  her famously long hair was silky soft  (yes,  I was touching it in this picture)  and it reached down to the floor. 

I then asked if she would sign this picture for me:

And she did:

There were no other fans back stage to meet her so we were able to spend some extra time with Ms. Gayle.  What a very nice lady.  Honestly.


I used to be a major Emmylou Harris fan.  I say  "used to be"  because her later work is not my style.  However,  her music through the late 1980s was simply some of the finest country ever put out.  Being that I was such a fan at that time I was able to meet her on several occasions,  including on her tour bus as well as back stage in the auditoriums where she performed.  And if she played more than one show while in town,  I went to each!

As you can see,  she signed my 45 in 1985.
I'm sad to say the song didn't do well on the charts. 

Yep,  that's a very young me in the presence of Ms.  Emmylou Harris herself!  You can bet I was on cloud nine here when we were backstage during her 1987  "Angel Band"  tour.
And here are our back stage passes:

This was at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts auditorium.

Emmylou Harris was one of the very few artists that I wrote a fan letter to.  You see,  fan letters usually end up in the record company offices where little-to-nothing is done with them.  If you received any reply at all,  it was usually to join a fan club.  I mean,  you knew the artists didn't even see your letter,  so why even bother,  right?

Then a friend of mine gave me a wonderful idea:  she told me to look at Emmylou's touring schedule and then send my fan letter to one of her upcoming stops - directly to the place she would perform!  That's exactly what I did.  In fact,  to ensure it would be noticed,  I put the letter in a large manila envelope.  I also included a self-addressed stamped envelope so all she would have to do would be to stick her reply/response in the provided envelope and mail it.
Guess what?  It worked!

In all honesty,  I haven't a clue what I originally wrote in the letter I sent.  I mean,  it had probably something to do with how much I enjoyed her music.  Nothing deep.
But I received an actual hand-written response by Emmylou herself! 
Pretty cool,  eh?

Whether you were a country fan or not,  in the early 1980s it seemed everyone was  "justa swangin'"  with John Anderson.  But I liked so many of his other  'hard-country'  songs just as much:  "I'm Just An Old Chunk of Coal  (But I'm Going To Be a Diamond Some Day),"   "Chicken Truck,"   "Wild and Blue,"  and numerous others that have a strong twang.

So,  once again,  being young and into country music paid off,  for in 1986 my wife and I met John Anderson on his tour bus,  of all places.
If I can't get a picture with them,  I always try to get an autograph.
Or both!

Another  'twangy'  country hero of mine began making waves in the 1980s,  Dwight Yoakum.  As soon as I heard his rendition of  "Honky Tonk Man,"  I knew I was going to be a fan.  And his albums just blew me away,  as did his cool on stage swagger that set him apart from many of the other singers of the time.

Dwight Yoakum was as friendly as they come.  In 1987 I was able to meet another music hero!
My star-struck wife was pretty excited,  too!

Perhaps my favorite living  country musician is Ricky Skaggs.  I say  "living"  because my all-time favorite country star is none other than Hank Williams Sr,  who died back in 1953.
Ricky played in Emmylou Harris's Hot Band for a bit,  and he took her in a more hard-core traditional hillbilly direction.  You know,  back woods tradition and bluegrass.
And when he went out on his own,  that's exactly the style he stuck with.
I've seen Ricky Skaggs in concert numerous times and met him more than once,  like when he came to Port Huron,  Michigan in 1987.

Long-haired me with Ricky,  my sister-in-law,  and my wife. 
It was such a pleasure meeting this top favorite of mine at McMorran Arena in Port Huron 1987.
Note in the above photo the autographed picture of Ricky my wife is holding.
Here it is:

Yup---it's this one right here.
I included my ticket stub as well.

I work at a high school as a classroom paraprofessional,  where I help kids with special needs do their school work.  I am always singing songs,  usually of the classic rock and oldies variety,  especially Beatles,  but sometimes tunes a little more contemporary,  such as  "All Summer Long"  by Kid Rock.  In fact,  I like to tell them that I've met Bob Richie  (Kid Rock),  for he used to often come to the store where I worked - Record Time - early in his career.
I was doubted until I showed them this:

That's Kid Rock,  in the white shirt on the left,  and that's me,  the dude with the long hair,  on the right.  I was working at Record Time,  a store that specialized in all forms of music,  from dance & techno to oldies to country to alternative - new and quality used.  This was the store to go to in the 1990s,  for we carried everything under the sun.
The African-American guy is Esham,  one of the pioneers
of Detroit hip-hop.
This picture was taken around 1990/91.

I love the Shangri Las  (Leader of the Pack),  The Angels  (My Boyfriend's Back),  The Ronettes  (Be My Baby),  and a myriad of other girl groups of the 1960s.  But one of my most favorite of the genre of that era are The Pixies Three.  And my most favorite of songs is their 1964 hit,  "442 Glenwood Avenue,"  which got up to number 5 locally here in Detroit on WKNR.

Very recently I found my little misplaced collection of Pixies Three  'coolectables'  and thought I'd share them with you:

Though  "442 Glenwood Avenue"  was their biggest claim to fame,  they did have other hits that were played nationally as well as on local radio here in Detroit  (even though the girls are from Pennsylvania):
"Summertime USA,"  "Cold Cold Winter,"  "Gee,"  and  "Birthday Party."

Back in the early 1990s,  Patty and I got to meet the original members of this fantastic group.  I was lucky enough to hang out with them and we spent the better part of an afternoon talking about - what else? - the great old tunes of the 1960s.
What a fun time!
They even called me  "Kenny" - a name reserved for my family and closest/oldest of friends - that's how our day went.

Front

Back

The group were part of an oldies show performance consisting of Bobby Vee,  Martha and the Vandellas,  The Reflections,  and,  of course,  the Pixies Three.  I met them all,  which was such an honor. 

By the way,  it wasn't just an oldies show they were playing at - - they were all the entertainment at a wedding reception!

Imagine doing something like that!

My wife on the left joined in on the photo.
Yeah...there I am again...man in red.
These ladies were great.  Simply great.

A former country radio station here in Detroit,  WCXI,  used to put on a  "Sunday in the Country"  concert event,  usually held at a smaller open-air venue,  and, since we loved country music so much,  my wife and I went annually.  The real country: it don't mean a thang if it ain't got that twang  kind of country music.  Sometimes they'd have an autograph table where fans could meet the stars.  One particular group that should have made it bigger than what they did was the Forester Sisters. 

Though their big country hit was  "I Fell In Love Again Last Night,"  my favorite song was their first hit,  "That's What You Do When You're In Love."

It was right around Thanksgiving when The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band came to town.
They are best known for  "Mr. Bojangles" - the pop hit from the early 1970s.  But they  'turned country'  not too long after when they released one of the most amazing collaboration albums:  "Will The Circle Be Unbroken,"  which included such classic stars as Mother Maybelle Carter,  Doc Watson,  Earl Scruggs,  Roy Acuff,  and numerous others.
By the 1980s,  they were firmly in the realm of country music.  Not only did my wife and I go back stage to meet them during this period,  but we got to eat a Thanksgiving dinner with them as well!

That's the great John McEuen's  autograph in red.  Other signers wrote with a regular ink pen and their names are pretty hard to see.

This next one is kind of bittersweet.  I remember when Randy Travis first started out and had a hit with the songs  "On the Other Hand,"  and  "1982."   The first line from  "1982"  connected with me because that was the year my father had passed away and I longed to be able to go back and reconnect with him,  just one more time.

Well,  obviously,  the song had nothing to do with my Dad,  but I did like the traditional style the song was done in.

Then Randy came out with  "Diggin'  Up Bones,"  and I was hooked.  I saw him in concert the first time he came to Detroit  (I believe he warmed up for Barbara Mandrell)  and...he told jokes in between songs.  Corny jokes.
The music?
True southern country...my kind of country.

"Thanks for liking our music" - this was at a time when  'the new traditionalists'  were making some noise in the country music scene,  artists like Randy,  Dwight,  George Strait,  and others were hearkening back to real  'tear in my beer'  hillbilly music rather than the more pop sound.  Unfortunately,  the pop sound seems to have won out.

Sadly,  Randy Travis suffered a stroke in 2013,  which ended his career.  But he keeps on working at regaining as much of his life as he can,  and from what I read,  he is moving forward.

Over the years that I worked in the music business,  I met quite a few other artists besides who you've seen in this posting,  including David Johannson  (New York Dolls),  Motorhead,  Ted Nugent,  Eminem,  country group Highway 101  (Whiskey If You Were A Woman),  Sweethearts of the Rodeo  (Midnight Girl in a Sunset Town),   Rosanne Cash  (daughter of legend Johnny),  the Whites,  bluegrass legend Bill Monroe,  blues/country Lucinda Williams,  Michigan born Scottish fiddler Bonnie Rideout...there were a few others I've met but,  unfortunately,  I,  at this time,  cannot seem to remember which ones.

And,  well,  then there's me.  The non-famous rock star wanna be at age 13.

In 1974 I was just moving out of the top 40 stage of my life and into the world of FM rock.  WABX,   WRIF,  and  WWWW  were the radio stations we had in Detroit that cranked out the music that created the soundtrack to my Jr High and High School years:  Led Zeppelin,  Pink Floyd,  Moody Blues,  Bad Company,  Traffic,  Grand Funk,  Cat Stevens,  the Doors,  group and solo Beatles,  Bachman Turner Overdrive,  Aerosmith,  Heart,  the Stones,  Janis & Jimi,  Emerson Lake and Palmer,  Foghat,  Alice Cooper,  Jethro Tull,  and so many others.

Yeah...me in 1974.
I was just learning how to play and I received an electric guitar for 
Christmas 1973  (a cheap Japanese brand,  but I thought it was the coolest).
Step aside,  Jimmy Page,  ya got some competition!

And there you have a piece of my musical life.  Anyone that personally knows me  (or has seen my Facebook page)  knows I am a music fanatic.  As you can see,  I don't just stick to one style of music,  for I can find great sounds in nearly every genre.

But I just thought it would be kind of neat to put my autographs and pictures here,  for it is my own little slice of late 20th century Americana.

Until next time,  see you in time. 

~   ~   ~