My Direction Home

My mother turned 16 years old less than three months before I was born. One of my first memories was of her in bobby socks with black and white saddle shoes, pedal pushers, and her hair drawn back in a pony tail. The television was turned on, and Bill Haley and the Comets were playing “See You Later, Alligator.” Over the next few years the soundtrack of my life featured Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Fats Domino, and a plethora of doo-wop and rock-a-billy.

Flash forward to February, 1964. I’m in 5th grade, walking the 8/10th of a mile to school with Barbara T. and Penny L. Suddenly, Penny turns to Barbara and says, “Wouldn’t Mike look so cute in a Beatles haircut!” Barbara agrees enthusiastically. Meanwhile, I’m thinking, “What in the heck is a Beatles haircut?” (And of course, why wouldn’t I look cute in a Beatles haircut too?) That evening Ed Sullivan introduces a new singing group from Liverpool, England. Their names are John, Paul, George and Ringo. At that precise moment, the world changed forever.

I listened exclusively to KJR-AM radio out of Seattle. Disc jockeys like Tom Murphy, Larry Lujack, and Pat O’Day were indelibly linked to the music I loved, and the notion that someday I too would become a famous radio personality.

Over the next few years, and continuing through high school and college, I became a music snob. In my opinion, groups like Jimi Hendrix Experience, Who, Cream, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and the Doors were unsurpassed for their rebellious innovation. I was in awe of bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra, ELP, Procul Harum, Yes, and Soft Machine for their musical wizardry. Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, and the Moody Blues had a message that resonated strongly with me and the other kids at my end of the playground. Groups like the Monkees, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and even Creedence Clearwater Revival and Grand Funk were considered irrelevant.

By the time the mid-70s had rolled around, my musical tastes were finally beginning to broaden. It was not unusual for me to go from David Bowie’s “Ziggie Stardust” album, to a spin on the turntable with Judy Garland, Tony Bennett, or Barbra Streisand. I couldn’t persuade any of my friends to see Frank Sinatra in concert, so I went alone.


My first job with any music connection was with the University of Washington Daily as the Arts & Entertainment Editor. When I joined the staff I had no idea they handed out paychecks at the end of every month. The illustration was created for my weekly column, and was drawn by Dave Horsey who went on to become a Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist with the Seattle Times.

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My dream of becoming a rock jock never completely materialized. I spent a few years as a radio announcer for various Northwest country stations, but eventually jumped to commercial television news and finally into public television where I produced documentaries and public affairs programs. My obsession with music and record collecting served me well during those years. I became the guy other reporters and producers consulted when they were looking for the right music to compliment their program segment.

By the mid-80s after my broadcasting career had landed me in New England, I was simultaneously attending and promoting record collecting shows, and finding myself buried in vinyl LPs and 45s. I was steadfast in familiarizing myself with as many kinds of music and artists as possible – always on the lookout for the talented but lesser-known singers, the obscure genres, and the little-known releases from past eras that came to fill the void most contemporary music could no longer satisfy within me.

Now, flash forward to June, 1998. I’m holding a garage sale and a lady begins loading up on all kinds of records and music memorabilia I have for sale. After she had filled several boxes she remarks, “You ought to sell some of this stuff on eBay.” This time, I wasn’t too embarrassed to ask. “What in the heck is eBay?” That night I went on the site and registered as a new member, and almost immediately placed a few things up for sale. Once again, a single moment changed my world forever.

Within 3 months I was making enough money to justify a career change. Since that time I have been a full-time seller on eBay, hawking records and record supplies, along with books and collectibles. It’s a great life, and it has given me an even greater opportunity to explore the music world as it exists on vinyl. And that in essence is the inspiration for this blog.

What I hope to do over time is to share and compare notes with record collectors who have gone beyond Frank Sinatra, to discover lesser known male saloon and pop singers like Matt Monro, Bobby Short, and Gordon MacRae. I look forward to writing relevant essays on their female counterparts including Mabel Mercer, Sylvia Syms, and Julie London. I relish the thought of paying tribute to the masters of Easy Listening including Mantovani, James Last, and the Jackie Gleason Orchestra. I hope to drop in on some of my favorite music genres such as exotica, lounge, and the 50s Latin-style craze. Over time, I hope to offer some worthwhile comments on the great film soundtrack composers like Ennio Morricone, John Barry, Maurice Jarre, and Jerry Goldsmith. I also look forward to sharing my enthusiasm for the lesser-known Broadway and off-Broadway musical cast albums that have crept into my collection. Finally, I intend to spend some time sharing tips on collecting, preserving, storing, and generally just appreciating old records.

As part of the magnificent eBay Community, and with the good fortune to have become a successful music entrepreneur, I look forward to indulging both my vocation as a seller, and my avocation as a collector. And so, symbolically anyway, this is my direction home.