Bloggers Revive Faded Vinyl

By JOSEPH DE AVILA
March 6, 2008

Vinyl records are going digital.

Scores of obscure recordings and nostalgic favorites are available on the Web -- thanks to a handful of crate diggers who have converted their analog recordings into a digital format. Some of today's record players are even equipped with USB ports to make it easier to convert those dusty records -- hiss, crack, pop and all -- into CDs and digital tracks.

Red Kelly, a 53-year-old retired Long Island Rail Road conductor living in the North Fork of Long Island, N.Y., says he loves the idea of sharing his passion for records through the Web. Mr. Kelly writes a blog called The B-Side and has been posting digital versions of soul songs from obscure 45-rpm records to his site since 2005. Most of these records are out of print and probably won't ever be re-released.

"This page is dedicated to the poor, neglected 'B' sides of all these 45s I have," Mr. Kelly writes on the site. "Let's listen to 'em together."

Mr. Kelly started collecting music when he was 12-years-old, foraging through garage sales and the discount bins at the Salvation Army hunting for music. Now, 40 years later, he's amassed over 10,000 45s. "It kind of drives my wife nuts," he says.

The B-Side is garnering more attention than Mr. Kelly expected -- the site gets about 30,000 to 40,000 page views a month. He's even getting calls from some of the artists that he idolizes, such as '60s and '70s soul and R&B singer Joe Simon. "People are talking to me like I'm somebody," he says. "It has blown my mind."