Nashville / Knoxville (Lawrence Brothers Records)

Here is a little item that I thought I'd pass along to you vintage country vinyl collectors.

First, a little back-story. Several years ago, when I would visit Nashville much more frequently, I would visit all the records stores that I could find. Downtown Broadway had the original Ernest Tubb store, but also had a jewel called LAWRENCE BROTHERS RECORD STORE. This was like going into some time-capsule. The record racks looked like the old vintage department store racks, and they were filled with NEW, SEALED records from the 60's, 70's, 80's (maybe earlier, but I don't recall). Anyway, they had big stars and obscure artists as well. You'd often find the price sticker from a retailer still intact, and then you'd see the Lawrence Brothers price, which was usually at least double or triple the original price. I never bought anything, but enjoyed the browsing.

I haven't been there in over 20 years, but often wondered what became of the store. I found this article, and in the comments after the story, there is an update from a family member which tells why they had to close the store in mid-2015. I wondered what became of the store stock. (here is nice story about the store, and I had no idea how many records they had that the public had never seen) A REQUIEM FOR A RECORD DISCOVERY: NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE »

Fast forward to present. A Knoxville based(with locations in Chattanooga and Nashville) bookstore/music store called McKay's Used Books and cds has slowly gotten into the new and used vinyl market. I have no interest in buying vinyl, so I rarely look. Last night while cd shopping at their store, I noticed that their number of lp racks had grown exponentially. I also noticed that their country section was huge, and that it looked like several sealed lps were mixed in. As I looked closer, I realized that there were hundreds of sealed old lps. As I continued to browse, I actually saw a Lawrence Brothers sticker that wasn't hidden very well. Anyway, they have tons of new(old) albums at great prices. A couple of examples, I own the original Ray Stevens lp on Barnaby Records that had THE STREAK. The LP is titled Boogity, Boogity. Anyway, it's new and sealed, and less than $3. Also, I saw several Jerry Lee Lewis 70's Mercury Records that were still sealed, and very cheap (can't remember, but I know they were less than $8.

I asked an employee that buys the music about this huge find, and he said he wasn't sure where they came from, but he knew they'd bought a huge lot from someone (but had no details.) I wondered if the Nashville store had gotten the lion's share of the records, or if it was split between the 3 stores.

Regardless, if you are near a McKay's and want to browse some new, cheap, vinyl, now's your chance.

 

Been there many, many times, never come home empty handed. The honey hole has been awesome, and this is Knoxville and Chattanooga I am discussing. And yes, the managers told me about the stock's origin up front. Probably bought a few thousand nice items (and generally for little money)