Michael Bell knew a lot about audio quality, but he wasn’t a sound engineer. He knew a lot about music, but he wasn’t necessarily a music lover.
“I know that sounds strange, but I would not classify him as a music lover. But he was a record collector and seller,” Chris Bell said of his brother. “He believed that the playing quality of the really good 45s and LPs could exceed that of CDs and a discerning collector would know that.”
Since 1981, Bell owned and operated Records Galore in Clarkston. He specialized in selling vintage records in mint condition, said Ken Waldrop, a friend and business partner.
“He’d been around so long, everybody in the record business knew him,” Waldrop said. “And he had an unbelievable memory. He knew his inventory.”
Michael Sutherland Bell of Stone Mountain died Friday of complications from cancer. He was 64.
A graveside service is planned for noon on Tuesday at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. Tim Stewart Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Born in Alexandria, Va., but reared in Atlanta, Bell served for three years in the U.S. Army, including a year in Vietnam. Before he opened the record shop, he worked for PET Dairy as a milkman, his brother said.
“He was stockpiling records in his apartment,” Bell said of his brother. “He knew he wanted to open a store. But he wasn’t just a seller. He maintained his own private collection.”
Michael Bell enjoyed an easy listening sound, his brother said, while many of his customers enjoyed jazz, blues and R&B.
“He had a strong customer base overseas,” his brother said. “And many would come visit while they were in the country on record buying trips.”
Waldrop, whose music collection shares shop space with Bell’s, said the hunt for rare albums energized his business partner.
“You never knew what he was going to bring through the door,” Waldrop said. “He was always fascinated at what you could find when you went looking.”
Chris Bell said his brother scoured all sorts of places including, flea markets, yard sales and estate sales.
“He had an instinct for finding a bargain,” Bell said of his brother. “It was all very exciting for him.”
Despite his declining health, Bell was able to continue working in his shop until early December. Waldrop said he and Bell were making plans to renovate their shared space when illness struck his business partner.
“I’m still going to do it, still going to renovate,” Waldrop said. “And we’re going to keep the store going because that is what Mike would have wanted.”
In addition to his brother, Bell is survived by his mother, Alice Bell of Lawrenceville; sisters, Lydia Vogtner of Sausalito, Calif., and Becky Greenway of Norcross.
About the Author
