PAPA RAY'S VINTAGE VINYL ROADSHOW

#301 Rochester, New York
In this episode, we visit Rochester New York, the home of the 13,000-square-foot store Record Archives. Celebrating his 50th year in business, owner and musician Richard Storms has one of the most impressive stores we’ve ever seen with a live music venue and bar called the Backroom Lounge. We also go to Bop Shop Records, renowned for the high quality of their used vinyl — the selection goes from ska and punk to blues, soul and funk. And before we leave, we can’t miss going to The Hi-Fi Lounge — once known as The CD Exchange — which has had its doors open for over 30 years.
#302 Chicago
Our crew goes to the Windy City, stopping by Dusty Grooves, Shuga’s, Out of the Past and a store that really beckons to the past, Beverly’s. Chicago’s record stores have survived the mass merchandisers that used the top titles of the day as “loss leaders.” They have a scrappy reputation: As one store owner put it, “We’re all individuals; we’re not joiners — we couldn’t even put together a record shop baseball league in the city. We’re just too damn competitive.” Chicago is a distinctive city with iconic, distinctive stores.
#303 Blues for the 21st Century
American music is heavily laced with the DNA of the blues. That was the case 100 years ago, and that’s the case now in the 21st century. Clarksdale, Mississippi, is ground zero.
#304 Memphis
Memphis, that town on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi, is awash in the legacy of blues, soul and rock ‘n' roll. We take a look at some of the record stores that keep those traditions alive and well — Memphis Records on famous Beale Street, Shangri La Records and Goner Records.

#305 Florida
While in Florida, we begin our vinyl journey in Florida’s West Coast, home of Daddy Kool Records, opened in 1985 and built as Tampa Bay’s best in new releases for vinyl, CDs and cassettes. We then head over to Banana Records, which claims to have the largest vinyl collection in the world — 3.5 million records along with a separate store specializing in audio equipment. Tom “Papa” Ray and the crew couldn’t leave the state without going to Miami to check out one of its best indie stores, Technique Records.
#306 Jamaica
By the early 1970s, Papa Ray was a fan of Jamaica’s contribution to world music: reggae. But he found out Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff were only two examples of the talent this tiny island in the Caribbean had to offer. Having released and curated reggae music on his store’s label and for the international Trojan imprint, the crew goes to Kingston to check out the vibe and where things are going in the home of ska, roots, reggae and dancehall. We visit shops including Rockers International Records and Derrick Harriott’s Record Shop. We’ll also stop by Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong International Distribution on Marcus Garvey Avenue.