Not long ago, 45-inch singles and 12-inch LPs sporting beautiful artwork and superb liner notes were the norm. South Florida music fans would faithfully visit their favorite record stores to discover the next Pink Floyd and find rare, out-of-print treasures. South Florida still houses a few audiophile havens including Sweat Records, Yesterday and Today Records, Uncle Sam’s Music and Radio-Active Records.
Buy photos in the Herald store
8/15/1983, Carol Guzy/Miami Herald Staff: Left to Right -Dick Yager; Martin Sher; Don Purvis; Les Schwartz browsing through old records. The South Florida Record Collectors sponsored a record- swap meet at American Legion Hall, Harvey Seeds Post No. 29, 6445 NE Seventh Ave. Admission $1. The meet featured various types of music, including classical, sound tracks, jazz, rock 'n' roll, pop, and rhythm and blues. It will also include music from such stars as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Buddy Holly.
1/19/1984, Miami Herald Staff: Rose Ortiz, has worked at Peaches Records and Tapes store for about 5 months. She is seen in front of a John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John display. Fancy displays of multiple images are used in Peaches. The store was one of the seven in South Florida's "record store row." The row, which runs along North Miami Beach Boulevard from I-95 to NE 15th Avenue, houses Open Books and Records, Peaches, Record Liquidators, at 87 NE 167th St.; Vibrations, 269 NE 167th St.; Discount Records, 1364 NE 163rd St.; Spec's Music, 1205 NE 163rd St., and Record Land.
6/30/1985, Rick McCawley/Miami Herald Staff: Michael Dean, co-owner of Yardbird Records, 2809 Bird Rd., in the Grove. At Yardbird, jazz is king. Two slightly chintzy speakers outside the shop grace the street with the sounds of The Ole Dude and the Fundance Kid, featuring young Phil Woods and jazz great Budd Johnson, who died shortly after the album was released last year. The shop's name was the nickname of another jazz monarch, Charlie Parker. The key to success, he said, is knowing where to find what he doesn't have.
The Mizell family (left) Beverly, center, Milton, Right,. Cheryl, and front center, Jeanette Mizell. The Mizells own a little record shop at an indoor flea market in Liberty City. "Mizell Records is a big voice in Miami when it comes to rhythm and blues," said Novice Johnson, Florida promotions manager for MCA Records, which handles performers such as Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight. "What they do is amazing." The Mizells, Johnson said, not only sell a large volume of records and tapes for a small outfit, but they also avidly promote local talent. "We listen when they tell us what's selling and what's not," said Johnson, who works from Pompano Beach. "I think they move more product than any other independent record shop in Florida." Mizell Records, at the east end of Flea Market USA, 3015 NW 79th St., sells about 250 albums and 200 cassettes each week. They also sell about 300 12-inch singles and 300 45's a week, said younger sister Beverly Mizell.
