On a recent episode of The Daily J podcast, Denise Zieja from Melodies & Memories in Eastpointe, Michigan joined WWJ’s Zach Clark and Annie Scaramuzzino to discuss the rare and valuable Motown record she and her husband Dan discovered. “Everybody wanted to know about it,” Denise noted.
The couple, who have an impressive record collection, decided to keep their incredible find within the Detroit community instead. “We always knew that it had to stay in Detroit, that it had to stay where it belongs. I got offers from the UK from Switzerland from Australia and we wanted it to be here,” she explained.
Rare and valuable Motown record found
@wwj950 An extremely rare and valuable Motown record was discovered by the owners of a record store in Eastpointe, Mich. — and later ended up in the hands of Jack White! Find out how on The Daily J, available wherever you get your podcasts. #recordstoreday #recordstore #melodiesandmemories #eastpointe #eastpointemichigan #macombcounty #metrodetroit #jackwhite #wwj #fyp ♬ Lofi Vibes – Gentle State
The wonderful discovery is a test pressing from artist-turned-producer Frank Wilson, who worked with a Motown subsidiary label called Soul Records and recorded his 1965 single, “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do).” Sadly, the track was scrapped after Wilson told Berry Gordy he would rather pursue a career in producing instead.
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Although 250 copies of the 7-inch record got destroyed, some were quietly salvaged, including the one that ended up in Denise and Dan’s hands. The couple have run their collection for over three decades, having much of Detroit’s history in their possession. Artists like Questlove, Eminem, Kanye West, Common, and even the late Aretha Franklin and J Dilla have stopped by their shop on 9 Mile and Gratiot to have a fill of their keepsakes, and even left signatures on the memorabilia-decorated wall.
Local music icon and vinyl enthusiast Jack White has previously expressed interest in purchasing the rare record from Denise and White for $100,000. The couple, who were well-acquainted with Jack’s nephew and Third Man Records co-founder Ben Blackwell met up with him and handed over the 45.
White celebrated his new possession on Record Store Day at Third Man Records in the city’s Cass Corridor, where limited copies were made available on purple vinyl. Denise and Dan’s store still stands and is never out of history or more rare pieces to stumble on. Every Record Store Day in April is a good time to remember Eastpointe’s Melodies & Memories for preserving music for decades.