I am originally from the Midwest. My Dad purchased a Record Player. It was box shaped like an overnight case. It played ’45 RPM records.
I think 45’s cost about $0.45-$0.65 each at that time. You could find sales at the large department stores and purchase 3 for $1.00 plus tax. I was very young. I did not work. I got an allowance from my Dad. I spent most of my allowance on ‘45 RPM records. Rhythm and Blues and Soul Music were my first musical love.
The first three ’45 RPM records my sister and I purchased were:
- Sooth Me by the Sims Twins
- Gypsy Women by the Impressions
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight by The Tokens
Fast forward several years and I discovered Jazz.
The first two Jazz records that I remember hearing were:
- Jive Samba by Cannonball Adderley
- Jive Samba by Brother Jack McDuff
The rest is as they say, “history”. I do want to say that I not only moved forward but you must always trace the musical lineage backward, for example, I mentioned Cannonball Adderley. You cannot understand Cannonball without going “backward” to Charlie Parker. You cannot understand Brother Jack McDuff without going “backward” to Fats Waller. I continue today to be just as enthused with Jazz music today as I was many, many years ago. Along the way, I have worked 10 years as a Jazz Radio Station Disk Jockey for a local Liberal Arts College.