I heard the man’s voice and recognized it instantly. An auction regular, he was standing right next to me at the auction table, and out of the corner of my eye I could see the…
Category: Records
‘Little Brave Sambo’ is a new look on an old stereotype
Posted in Black history, Children, history, and Records
When I first saw the title, I thought I had misread it. “Little Brave Sambo.” That didn’t sound right. All of the books I had seen about this little boy’s encounter with four tigers were…
I was cataloguing some old 78 rpm records, including too-many copies of Frank Sinatra’s “White Christmas/Jingle Bells,” when I came across a name and label I did not recognize. The singer was Ruth Wallis on…
It’s a memory that we all share. That first – and subsequent – 45 rpm that we couldn’t wait to buy and then listen to over and over again. Those were the days when buying…
I couldn’t wait to buy the 45 for Jr. Walker & the All-Stars’ new record. I don’t recall where I had heard it, probably on the radio, but I knew that it was a record…
The picture was on a lower shelf in a locked glass case at the antiques mall. There was no light in the case so the image itself was in the shadows and not very distinguishable.…
Falling hard for the Temptations’ “Silent Night”
Posted in Music, Performers, and Records
I first fell for the Temptations’ “Silent Night” like a woman in love. I couldn’t get enough of hearing Dennis Edward’s stirring lyrics and Melvin Franklin’s deep barrel of a voice. And who was that…
A 45 record of Ethel Merman singing ZIP code song
Posted in Ephemera/Paper/Documents, Music, and Records
I distinctly remember the cartoonish ZIP code man with the stringy right-leaning body and bug eyes. I was still a young girl when he became the popular mascot of the Post Office’s then-new five-digit ZIP code. I…
Readers ask about lady nutcracker, turntable & Mutoscopes
Posted in Computer/Electronics, Kitchen, Music, Reader questions, and Records
Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources for them to determine the value of the items that they own. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but…