a blog about writing and self-publishing a book
A RECORD FEW KNEW ABOUT at the time was the Jets on Gee 1020, Heaven Above Me / Millie Brown. Released in 1956, it was a rarity whispered about by the handful of collectors who knew it was one of the secret gems in the genre. In any field of collectables, there is a ‘top ten’ of collectors—the ones who have most everything and can and will spend what it takes to get those precious few items that they do not have. [Continue reading]
WHAT ABOUT COMPETITION? Frankly, there wasn’t much there, and what had come before wasn’t to be feared! The first price guide to take on the field of rhythm & blues—at least that I was aware of—was another O’Sullivan Woodside guide by Jerry Osborne and Bruce Hamilton. This was followed by Jeff Kreiter’s self-published guide for group collectors. [Continue reading]
MY RHYTHM & BLUES BOOK was first conceived in 1986, but a book that combined r&b and blues record didn’t occur to me until the early ’90s. My first and only choice for co-author was the legendary Val Shively: his store, R&B Records, had been a fixture in the Philadelphia area for decades; customers came from all over the world to get lost in the back rooms filled with little records with big holes. [Continue reading]