I've been having a wonderful time listening to records that I found at a thrift shop. It's located in an old department store on the town square which has a grand wooden staircase and other interesting architectural embellishments. The store must have been quite a showplace in its day. Truthfully I think Betty, the owner, has a hoarding problem but at 25 cents a record I'm not going to judge.
There are probably several hundred records in this store packed in old milk crates. As I inspected each one I had to fight back the urge to squeal out loud; Mary Travers, Dionne Warwick, Wayne Newton, Johnny Mathis, Vicki Lawrence (yes, that's right), Perry Como, Barbra, Liberace, Englebert, Mahalia and so many more.
I feel a cocktail party coming on!
The more I searched, quite a few albums had the name Jane Peterson hand-written on the cover. I began to notice that Jane was fond of Big Band music and clearly a little possessive about her records. Then there was one autographed by the musician and signed, "To sweet Jane Peterson, Love Ya, Al Pierson."
Who is this Jane Peterson and why is she so sweet? I am intrigued.
Next I ran across The Best of Mancini and Bacharach with Jane's mailing label attached. When I purchased the stack I asked Betty if she knew Jane Peterson. I live in a town of 2300 so surely she could tell me. Betty frankly replied, "Oh she's dead." Immediately I'm imagining that if I die in this town my possessions are going to end up for sale in this thrift store. Time to start labeling everything with my name.
So this morning I'm listening to Jane's albums and I'd like to think she is listening. I'll be putting my name on her records also for that day in the future when the next person finds these at Betty's.
6 comments:
"I'll be putting my name on her records also for that day in the future when the next person finds these at Betty's"
I like that idea!
You should pretend to be Liberace and sign it
"To Sweet Hayward,
Love Ya,
Lee"
Great story Hayward.
Get out the 'glitterpen' and start signing...
I'm always intreagued when i stumble across such treasures in thrift shops and jumble sales...
Who was this person that loved the item so much so that they needed to identify it as belonging to them? How did it form a part of the patchwork of there life? What did it mean to them, a memory, an experience, a folly, an attachment?
Did they live in a thief filled share house? Or with borrower's that never return?...Did they have to control the environment to the point of obsessionally putting their name on everything they owned?
I know I will never know the answers... but i do enjoy musing over the endless possibilities and inferences that can be gleaned or imagined...
Excellent idea Jason!! I may bring a sharpie to the store next time to autograph the albums I don't purchase. There's a Tony Orlando and Dawn album that could use a little help. If Betty Wright ever appears I'll autograph it to you, and buy it of course.
Princess, I was thinking the same thing. I doubt she was loaning them to anyone because people around here are notorious for being cheap and stingy. But since I have her address I'll try to locate her house and take a photo. The address is a rural route out in the corn fields somewhere so I'm not completely confident I'll find the house.
And Princess, if I run across any Peggy Lee you'll get an autograph too!
Good luck with hunting down her abode, how fortunate to find her address. I'll look forward to a pic of your success... it's almost like a Nancy Drew mystery...
I'm all excited for you...
Children of the corn!
I have been buying old vinyl also... but to have some connection to the former owner is heavenly. I think In would have liked Sweet Jane (Lou Redd wrote a song about her, she must have made an impression).
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