How I took a hobby....

And created a website about my passion.


I'm happy that you've landed on my site and happier still to tell you about the very special stories I have written about life as I knew it growing up during the golden age of vinyl records.

Hi. My name is Danny Sandrik and this is my wife Susie. I decided to add this About Me page because people often ask who I am and how I came to build a website featuring stories about my vinyl record collection.

Some people just want to know who that person is hiding behind the web pages.  I'll share with you why I built this website and just who that guy is writing these pages. First, a little about me.

I'm a simple person and have enjoyed a good life for the past 58 years with my kind and caring wife, Susie.

We have three daughters I am very proud of, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  I enjoy the holidays, especially Thanksgiving  when many of us are all together.

Family always comes first but old friends remain my most cherished and trusted link to all those wonderful old memories from the past.

And I still believe that if you treat people fair everything else will take care of itself.

So if you are still curious to know why I collect vinyl records, love classic oldies, good country music, rockabilly, cool classic cars and had a memorable teenage life, please read on...

Let me tell you who I had in mind when I built this site.


I Built this site for you...all of you.

  • The senior looking to return and relive all those wonderful childhood and teenage memories.
  • The middle-ager probably born in the early sixties but grew up listening to music in the seventies.
  • Those born in the seventies or early eighties and now view the seventies as the really last decade that can be called oldies music.
  • Those between the teens and 30 who were born in the age of the internet.

    So this site is for you...all of you.

How it all began.

In 2010,  I was sitting at my computer making music CD's from old vinyl records to send to some dear old friends.

My wife came into the room, looked at all the vinyl record albums I had displayed on the walls and said, "Danny, have you ever considered selling your albums on eBay and let others enjoy them just as you have over the years. We sure could use the extra money."

I thought about it for a while....a short while. I knew as I got older my priorities had changed...I became more realistic, maybe about what is really important. 

For me, the caring and sharing is most important  so I decided to see if I could find a way to put my vinyl record collection online for others to enjoy.  I didn't want to sell my collection just yet,  but I may in the future.

I decided I would tell the stories behind the albums and explain why I believe vinyl albums are such a great piece of history to own.

I would start when I was a teenager (I was 15 here in 1959) and make the connection between my vinyl records, old friends and my take on growing up in the fifties.   I would place oldies music on my site and if folks did not care to read about my past and my vinyl records they could at least enjoy the music and videos.  One thing was for sure.      

I didn't want a "sales pitch" site.

All the vinyl record sites I viewed online really didn't do much but sell albums and items related to vinyl records. 

Nothing wrong with that I may do that in the future, but there was very little information about the albums, the singers, or the musicians on these sites. Just sales pitches.

When I say I am a vinyl record collector I should point out that I have always collected vinyl records for personal interest and not their value. I know which albums and records may be of value, but record appraisal is not what I do.        

I would be delighted if you would step into my vinyl record world and share with me the same excitement I have as I tell my stories about those early teen idols and musicians I grew up with.

And to experience what it was like to hold a vinyl record album in your hands and arms, read the material on the front and back of the album then make a decision, as I would do at times, to buy the album without first listening to what was inside.

That's the  excitement and enjoyment I experienced from all those beautiful LP album covers over 50 years ago.                  


My Rock & Roll Mom!

My most memorable time was growing up as a teenager in Hamilton, Ohio just north of Cincinnati.  

My mother was the coolest mom during those times.  She enjoyed our music when some parents would turn off the radio when ever "Rock & Roll" was played. 

I will always be grateful to my mom for allowing me and my two sisters to have a great childhood and  teenage life.  She and my wonderful dad got us all started in the right direction.

Mom could do all the new dances better than most teens and never looked down on our music.  She was simply a 32-year-old teenager at heart, and I truly believe she really enjoyed her kids during that time more than most parents.

I will always admire my parents for their patience with three teens during the early years of that new music era called rock-n-roll. Truly an unbelievable experience and fascinating time to live in.           

Who would have believed that well over a half century later I would be able to share my teenage music experiences with anyone in the world simply by typing my thoughts into a small TV screen.

Some of you reading this know where Hamilton is located, some may not and some may not even care. But I'll bet you can't forget, if you are old enough, what it was like growing up during that wonderful period of history in your hometown.

I'll go back in time, grab your favorite songs and put them right in front of you.  Pick out the ones you grew up with and relive your favorite memories all over again.          

It would be hard for today's teens growing up in a digital world to vision what a really great time it was to be a teenager.

One of my goals is that my Vinyl Record Memories will give the younger generation an opportunity to listen to music and read about what it was like to be a teenager in a much different world.


Growing up in the 50s when today's Oldies were the #1 hits of the day!

Imagine growing up in the fifties when Elvis, Ricky Nelson, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, The Platters, Little Richard, and all the cool Doo-wop groups were just getting started. 

This is what I write about, this is my passion and for me it never grows old. It was a remarkable time growing up as a teenager in the fifties. 

A time when you could hear all the new artists number one songs being played on the radio.  This was a time when #1 songs were not oldies but Top 10 hits each week.


Been there done that attitude.

It's easy for me to write content about my vinyl record collection because I have that built in "Been there, done that" experience level that I believe many other vinyl record sites do not have.

I grew up during the golden age of vinyl records.

I'm not some blogger who blew thru the internet on a 20 minute Wikipedia trip, took notes and then made a site.   I know more!        

I've become my own best friend and can now dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50s, 60s & 70s and share them with anyone in the world who visits my site. 

I've seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging and the missed opportunity to look back on those wonderful old memories.

I write these pages and stories for everyone, but especially for those dear old friends I have never met, in hopes they too can visit the fond memories of their childhood through the pages of my website.....before they leave us.

Many have already written to me and expressed their views on this by asking me to "Please keep those oldies alive for us"!

So I write these pages for You....all of you.


And to my dear wife...

Without her suggestion the light would not have come on and my vinyl record collection would have remained in a box in the corner.

Thank you so much, Susie, for all your support and for allowing me to keep my collection so others can enjoy these magical songs with the classical sounds and share my vinyl record memories from the past.

And all I have to do to make all this happen is do what I love. Write about my passion.

Ever thought of having your own website? I built Vinyl Record Memories "from scratch" with SoloBuildIt! Click below to find out more....

Here's a link to  our classic oldies pages.

Check out the Doo-Wop pages here

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Memories, Memories


"Thank you so much for all the work you have done on these pages.  I found my way here, and spent the next two hours in absolute bliss. Memories, memories...thank you for rekindling them."

Bob Douglass,
VA



Love Your Comments!


"Just stumbled onto this site and decided to stay and visit for a while. You have it laid out so wonderfully. Easy to get around and love your comments. Thanks for my trip down memory lane. Really, really enjoyed it."

Priscilla Hernandez,
Arkansas



One Classic After Another...


Thanks for an excellent musical experience. I found your website by accident and just kept enjoying one classic after another. Great job! Like yourself, I'm still enjoying my vinyl collection. We share many of the same favorite artists.

Regards, Jim Miles
MD



An Old Song
A New Friend


"I don't usually contact doo wop article authors as I rarely find much value in the articles, but your article struck me as sincere, genuine and respectful."

Tom Sokira,
Producer, Audio Engineer
"In The Still Of The Night" (1956)

Read the story here.



A kind reply
From a grateful family.


Danny, I think you did a great job and my family enjoyed it as well. I have had some more time to go through your site and find it to be fantastic, and your personal story is great as well. 

You truly are a blessing to all of Us. Thanks for sharing your memories with us. I look forward to seeing and hearing more from you.

Paul Giacalone

The song "You Were Mine" was written by Paul Giacalone. Read the story here.



Flooded With Memories...


Danny, I could not believe the content of your website. It is just amazing to recall so much we lived through just by checking out so many old posters & album covers.

Your site floods me with memories & reinforces my belief that it truly was a great time to be a teenager. Good work, Danny, please stick with it.

Sincerely Dale
dalekleeart.com



A True Story...
"Darling Lorraine"


Danny, Great job !!!! I can't express enough how much my mother would have been so happy with your work on her song. As for myself and the rest of my family, we really appreciate your time & effort to let everyone who is interested in her song know the true story behind it.  Read more...

Thanx so much, Bob



"Duke of Earl" Homecoming


I just read your article on Duke of Earl/Vee Jay Records. My father was Randy Wood, President of Vee Jay at the time.

I'm doing some research on the company and am learning how influential Vee Jay was in shaping the future of music.  Nice to see your web page.

Michele Marotta
February 15, 2015

Read the Duke of Earl story.



A Special Place To Visit.


Danny, great going with your site. I will be visiting often.  I have all of my dad's LPs and several of my own, so your site is of special interest to me.

Roy Webber,
Utah



Keeping Old Vinyl Music Alive.


Congratulations on an outstanding site. I am from old school. I was 13 when Rock & Roll erupted in 1955. I would literally run home from school to watch Bandstand every day. I lived outside Philly and grew up with all the Philadelphia music scene and its performers. Keep up the good work and I thank you for your time and effort in keeping the old vinyl music alive for us and future generations.

Bill Moore,
Lugoff, SC
Deceased 2020

Bill was our first newsletter subscriber.
Rest easy, my friend.



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