Outside of my absolute love of taco trucks and cult films, if there’s one thing that I am really into, it’s got to be records and, to be sure, record stores.
While I have written about almost every shop in the Oklahoma City/Tulsa area, every time I go on a real vacation, small road trip, or aimless Sunday drive, I always have to soak in a new one, and discover all the rarities, regional pressings, and bargain-bin oddities they have to offer.
So, during our recent trip to Fort Worth, I naturally tugged the arm of my blushing bride and hit up Record Town – 120 St. Louis Avenue, Suite 105 – a historic Fort Worth record shop that's been dishing out vinyl since way back to 1957.
The sheer history of the place notwithstanding, Record Town is a treasure trove of good deals, great memorabilia, and, from what I’ve seen, a knack for keeping the Fort Worth scene on groove lockdown.
When I arrived, a nearby church was blasting fitting Tejano tunes, their pulsing beat carrying me across the street to the time-warped shopping center, where the spinning steeple sign announced that Record Town was open for business.
As soon as I got in the building, right through the door, my attention was immediately diverted to the first unassuming record rack—it had one of my favorite Texas artists, Doug Sahm, and his live 1975 recording of his Austin City Limits show. What luck!
Previously unavailable for many years, I have wanted this repressed L.P., and here it was, just as soon as I walked through the door. What other fated surprises do you have for me, Record Town?
With the platter keenly put in my record bag, I adjusted my glasses and began to look over the place…
The shop had a real rudimentary 1950s sheen that you don’t see anymore. Although the building was kind of basic, the place was plastered with vintage record covers, collectible artist prints, and, most impressively, snapshot after snapshot of all the music greats that have graced the city and the music store.
Skimming through the albums, the rock section, though substantial, wasn’t the best part—not surprisingly, it was the country section. With mostly “vintage” copies as opposed to newer recordings, this was pure, unfiltered “classic” country music, and I was totally enthralled.
To be sure, this wasn’t your daddy’s Jim Nabors or the “Ballad of the Green Berets” collection—although, comically, a vandal graffitied Anita Bryant’s tepid output—this was the type of country music I had been waiting for, starting with records from San Benito’s Freddy Fender.
An integral part of the Texas Tornados project with Sahm, I picked up a couple of mainstream Fender albums from the 70s, including Are You Ready for Freddy and Before the Next Teardrop Falls, both in great condition.
In addition to that, on the shelf of Texas music books, I got another wish-list fulfillment, Chicano Soul: Recordings and History of an American Culture, by Ruben Molina. It’s a history book of Chicano rock music, and I can’t wait to deep-dive into it.
As I was finishing up my visit, I was going to check out…when I saw a box labeled “12 Inch Singles” which is my latest audio obsession. I had to look them over.
They had quite the stand-outs from the start—stuff I would not have expected. Feverishly, I picked out Talking Heads’ “Wild Wild Life” extended mix and, the biggest shock of the day, the Psychedelic Furs’ “Shock” with the Shep Pettibone mixes. (Well…I like it…)
Everything about Record Town was a standout surprise, from the history of the place to all the serendipitous and rare finds on a Sunday afternoon. As I was checking out, the owner and I talked about the record stores in Oklahoma City and how he wanted to one day go to a show at Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom.
I told him that, absolutely, he should definitely check out the historic venue—every person who takes music seriously has to go, at least once!
As I said goodbye to the owner and waited for my wife, who ditched me for the vitnage shop next-door, I looked at my purchases and spotted a few freebies he had stuck in my bag, including some stickers, guitar picks, and a Record Town tote bag that my wife quickly commandeered as one of her grocery bags. Sad!
If you find yourself in Fort Worth craving an adventure in music, complete with groovy vintage finds, drop the needle at Record Town. Don't be surprised if half your vinyl wish list comes home with you...or if your freebie record tote bag vanishes into someone else’s collection of strange sacks.
-
Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
