Tom “Papa” Ray has been in the music business for decades. Last year, the Vintage Vinyl founder took his love for vinyl records and put it on the small screen in a docuseries, “Papa Ray’s Vintage Vinyl Roadshow,” which airs on Nine PBS and other PBS member stations across the country.
Season 2 of the program premieres at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Viewers can also stream it on pbs.org.
The new season opens with a montage of record store patrons answering a simple question: “What was your first record?” Ray told St. Louis on the Air that the question takes people back to their earliest or most formative music experiences.
“When you ask that question and you’re looking at the person, so very often you can see in their face the room of memory open,” he said. “[I learn] not just the first time they heard the record, but it’s also what was going on in their life. What were they doing? What was the time and place?”
The first episode is set in Nashville and explores how buying records brings people together, as well as how the city has built a vibrant music scene that isn’t just centered on country music.
The enduring popularity of record shops and vinyl doesn’t surprise Ray. “Whether it’s in Brixton, London or whether it’s in Seattle, it’s pretty much the same thing,” he said. “It’s a relationship as a listener to that particular medium.”
For more with Tom “Papa” Ray, including the two Mid-America Emmy nominations he’s earned with Season 1 of “Papa Ray’s Vintage Vinyl Roadshow,” listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Season 2 Premiere of “Papa Ray’s Vintage Vinyl Roadshow”
When: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4
Where: Nine PBS (KETC Channel 9)
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Darrious Varner is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
