There was a time before the Internet. Also there was already worldwide trading and we collectors of records and later of CDs went on the hunt for the ultimate with the help of catalogues. There were dealers who sent us their current offers on quickly copied sheets and there were premium suppliers who brought us closer to the world of special music styles in regularly published, bound catalogues every few months. The main search function to activate was within ourselves. An epic endurance, biblical patience and eyes that were ready to push their limits, tear their eyelids and pupils open and were ready to eat paper. One of the most beautiful and informative catalogues of this kind was the BEAR FAMILY catalogue from good old Germany. In this motherland of Western culture of modern times, one person had set himself the task of documenting the entire oeuvre of the American Country & Western musicians almost single-handedly.
The German historical consciousness wanted to oppose and preserve the American indifference towards their own music history and to hand over the lifework of the respective artist to the fans of the music for their frequent appreciation, And as completely as possible. Over the years Bear Family has carried out an exemplary detective search and documentation work. Thus, not only were complete editions of artists published for the first time in a high-quality performance, but they were also saved from the probable destruction. This was a costly business concept, which was counter-financed by the fact that it set up a mail order department. I was a big fan of Rhythm’n’Blues back then, and Bear Family was the right address. So the catalogues came at regular intervals. And one of these catalogues – I take at the end of the eighties, at the beginning of the nineties of the last century – had a cover that immediately fascinated me. It showed a photo of a record store in Chicago in the fifties. I immediately wanted to hang this picture as a large poster in my room, but how could that work? But the wish remained and was expressed in the fact that at some point I removed all the catalogues from my shelves – there was now an Internet – but I kept this one sheet. At some point, only a short time after I had started painting, it occurred to me to take the photo as a template for a picture. It has been hanging as a large poster on my room wall for a year now. Sometimes things last a little longer. And I still like this music. It’s a pity that we late viewers will never know which music was actually playing over the speakers at the moment the photo was taken. Maybe ONLY YOU from the Platters, or MY BABE from Little Walter…
