Auther: Reid’s Records and the Negro Leagues
From SABR member Ronald Auther at Shadow Ball Express on June 14, 2015:
We often look toward Los Angeles, Nashville, or New York when we think about the music or recording industry.
We never think of Berkeley.
Reid’s Records was founded in 1945, and was the first African American record stores West of the Mississippi. It was the first record stores I ever shopped at when I was a kid. It’s founder, Mel Reid was very much a renaissance man, who had his ups and downs, while his multiple career sporting fame cleared a pathway for him to become a leading businessman in the Berkeley community. That same professional sports career is often overshadowed by Mel’s ventures in the music recording industry, as a music promoter, who’s many business exploits connected him throughout his life, with some of the most interesting array of musical superstars that ever graced the stage.
Read the full article here: https://shadowballexpress.wordpress.com/2015/06/14/negro-league-baseball-the-reid-factor-mel-reid-part-ii/
Originally published: June 15, 2015. Last Updated: June 15, 2015.