Digging for Stories in Canada’s Record Stores
The Record Keepers chronicles the backstories of Canada’s record stores, from long-running neighbourhood institutions to new shops shaping local scenes, of women-led record stores to family-owned businesses and independent regional chains. Meet the Alberta teen who became the country’s youngest record store owner at 17, the Saskatoon collectors who quit their day jobs to save their beloved shop, the 19-year-old Winnipegger who nervously slept on his shop floor the night before his grand opening, a Hamilton owner whose record store was founded with his parents’ wartime internment redress payments, a Vancouver owner who uncovered a Beatles recording so rare he personally delivered it to Paul McCartney, and many others.
Record Keepers Playlist: 50 tracks from 50 albums recommended by Canada's record store owners
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Testimonials
A spectacular cross-country pilgrimage that uncovers the vibrant human stories hiding in the bins of Canada's record stores. Greenberg’s immense love for community and music shines through on every single page. By lifting up the unique voices of independent shop owners from coast to coast, this book brilliantly shows how record stores serve as the ultimate anchors of local culture.
Josh uncovers a wealth of unique stories from the people behind the counters at some of Canada’s most beloved record shops. Informative and engaging, the book is also filled with great photos that showcase the diversity of Canada’s vinyl community. An absolute must for every vinyl digger!
This book resonates so strongly with me. Growing up in my family's audio equipment store surrounded by record players meant I spent countless hours listening to, playing, and shopping for records. Josh perfectly captures the magic of record stores—not just as places to buy music, but as spaces where discovery, connection, and community come to life. His stories celebrate the people behind these shops and the important role they play in shaping our musical journeys and reminded me why record stores hold such a special place in the hearts of music lovers everywhere.
I just received my copy of The Record Keepers and got emotional when I opened it. The book feels like a LP box set. The design and overall feel of the book is super deliberate and is very high quality. Just looking through it reminds me of digging for records. It really is a love letter to these stores and the people who run them.
News & Blogs
Like many vinyl collectors, I went into a state of serious record store withdrawal during the COVID pandemic. For most of my adult life, I’d visited a shop at least once a week. Suddenly, many of…
I was hospitalized for several months when I was 16 following a serious back injury during a soccer game. My friends would visit pretty regularly, and on one particularly memorable visit one of them brought me…
Originally published in The Conversation, April 11, 2024 Previously relegated to the dustbin of media history, the vinyl LP has undergone a revival during the past decade to once again become the best selling physical format…
One book. Countless crates. Join the author as he travels Canada’s record store scene. Meet the owners who keep vinyl culture alive, and discover their fascinating backstories. Grab your physical copy today.
The publication of this book was supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, through a knowledge mobilization grant administered by Carleton University.
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