Question for Washington, DC or Baltimore forum members.

[woodward]

There were two great record stores that I frequented in the past and obtained some great Motown 45s; the prize one I got was Tears of Sorrow by the Primettes and several Jimmy Ruffin 45s.

The stores were Roadhouse Oldies in Silver Spring, MD and
Roadhouse Oldies in Baltimore, MD.

Does anyone know if these two businesses are still operating?

Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

[calvin]

I'm not from that area but looks like the one in Silver Spring closed up at the end of 2017, following the closure of the Baltimore store in 2015.

https://www.sourceofthespring.com/bu...sing-40-years/

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...ouse-oldies-c/

Google also lists both as "permanently closed."

[woodward]

Thanks for your assistance. A real shame. Alan Lee was a disc jockey on WOL. I have a poster promoting a show at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 24, no year indicated. It promoted Marv Johnson, from Detroit..His first appearance in 20 years. Highlighted songs were You've Got What It Takes, Merry-Go-Round, and I Love The Way You Love. I wish that I had been in attendance at that concert. It also featured Etta James. Tickets were $10 or $12. Those must have been the days.

[arr&bee]

Roadhouse was cool,as was...new wax unlimited in n.e. D.c. Which had many,many 45's..those were the days indeed!

[edafan]

Just thinking about old record stores in the 50's & 60's. I lived in Lynn MA, and a small record store: the owner used to get records that the radio people either sold or gave him. He let me spin and listen to the 45's in these piles He would sell them to me for 10 cents each. Just by ear, I picked out ones by Carole King and others. I recently put them all on mp3's. I was taking a ride with my son, we went to Lynn. He wanted to see the store where I listened to the songs by ear.

[daviddh]

Omg.havent thought of Roadhouse Oldies in years.
Thx for brining back memories

[daviddesper]

I used to love record shopping in Georgetown. At various times there were as many as 5-6 shops and I would just go from one to the other comparing prices. Are there any stores there any more? How about in the Dupont Circle area? I remember one or two there also.

[robb_k]

Thanks for your assistance. A real shame. Alan Lee was a disc jockey on WOL. I have a poster promoting a show at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 24, no year indicated. It promoted Marv Johnson, from Detroit..His first appearance in 20 years. Highlighted songs were You've Got What It Takes, Merry-Go-Round, and I Love The Way You Love. I wish that I had been in attendance at that concert. It also featured Etta James. Tickets were $10 or $12. Those must have been the days.

It was probably in 1960. The latest of the 3 songs was released in 1960.

[robb_k]

Omg.haven't thought of Roadhouse Oldies in years.
Thx for bringing back memories

They had their own record label that released a lot of previously unreleased old R&B from newly-discovered master tapes, and they even got disbanded groups to get together and record new early 1950s style R&B/DooWop in the early 1970s.

[arr&bee]

i used to love record shopping in georgetown. At various times there were as many as 5-6 shops and i would just go from one to the other comparing prices. Are there any stores there any more? How about in the dupont circle area? I remember one or two there also.

you're speaking of the famous shop on[m st]which name escapes me at the moment.

[daviddesper]

Here is the best of my recollection since it sounds like you know the area. If you were to cross Key Bridge from Virginia and enter Georgetown from that direction, you would be on a busy street, sorry don't remember the name. You would go maybe 3-4 blocks and there would be what I would call THE major intersection for Georgetown. [[Don't know that street name either.)

But let us use that intersection as our starting point............coming back toward Key Bridge and on the north side of that street, there was an oldies shop that was primarily used vinyl albums. The only thing I remember was that some long-haired guys ran it.

Back to our same intersection, on the same side of the street but beyond that intersection [[going toward the center city) there was a Kemp Mill that was always good.

OK back to our same intersection and this time go north on the other street. Only a block or so up the street was a combination book and record store. If that street is M, that may be the store you mean.

Finally a block or two north of that store, I think there were one and maybe two other record and CD stores there. I stopped going to DC probably by the late 80s/early90s, which is why I would be astonished if any of these still exist.

As for Dupont Circle, I think there was one and maybe two almost next door to the Lambda Rising bookstore back in the day. The thing I remember most about that area of town was what a b**** it was to find a place to park.

Then last but not least, there was the wonderful Tower Records store which sadly almost seemed as if it was gone before it even got firmly established. Sigh! Those were the days!

[arr&bee]

You may have visited-orphius records which was a d.c.institution for years.

[daviddesper]

Was that the first one I mentioned or the one that was also a bookstore? The name definitely sounds familiar.

[arr&bee]

You mentioned[kemp mill]which i thing was on-wisconsin ave.another legendary record shop.

[daviddesper]

Thanks. It finally occurred to me that the two streets were Wisconsin and M, although I could not remember which was which, since I have not been there for so long. Therefore I think Orpheus and Kemp Mill were on Wisconsin but on different sides of the M Street intersection. The one that we so far have not named, that was a combination record shop/bookstore, was then about a block or so up M Street.