{{Short description|Music and memorabilia store in Los Angeles}} thumb|Exterior of Rockaway Records, March 2020 '''Rockaway Records''' is a US independent music and memorabilia store located in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The store's specialties are rare vinyl records, autographs, posters, memorabilia, and other music collectibles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet Wayne Johnson of ROCKAWAY RECORDS - Voyage LA Magazine {{!}} LA City Guide|url=http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-wayne-johnson-rockaway-records-silverlake/|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> It was founded in 1979 in Los Angeles by brothers Gary and Wayne Johnson.

== History == In 1979, after attending a record swap meet in the Capitol Records parking lot in Hollywood, avid music lovers Gary and Wayne Johnson began buying and reselling vinyl albums. The pair started frequenting yard sales and swap meets looking for old records.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rockaway Owners Get Back to Their LP Roots {{!}} Los Angeles Business Journal|url=https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2004/nov/01/rockaway-owners-get-back-to-their-lp-roots/|website=labusinessjournal.com|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> Within a couple months of discovering the Capitol swap meet, they started selling there as well as buying more rarities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rockaway Records|url=https://silverlakeblog.com/rockaway-records/|date=2006-05-19|website=Silver Lake Blog}}</ref> What started as a hobby soon became an international mail order business run out of the basement of the house they shared in Brea, California.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Record shop still on track|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-sep-24-ct-rockaway24-story.html|date=2009-09-24|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> The choice of business name was an homage to the Ramones song "Rockaway Beach".{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Within a couple of years, the brothers quit their jobs to focus on Rockaway's full-time mail order business. In 1982 the Johnsons purchased Rainbow Records, a small record store on Glendale Boulevard in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The brick-and-mortar Rockaway Records moved twice along the same street before moving into its current location in 1992. Upon purchasing the 9,000 square-foot property (previously home to a nightclub called Caché), Rockaway became the largest record store in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Meet Wayne Johnson of ROCKAWAY RECORDS - Voyage LA Magazine {{!}} LA City Guide|url=http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-wayne-johnson-rockaway-records-silverlake/|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref>

After several years working alongside his brothers, Alan Johnson opened a second Rockaway Records location in Mesa, Arizona, which closed in 2007. In 1992, a sister store opened in Brisbane, Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Brisbane's Rockaway Records Are Celebrating 25 Years In Business|url=https://scenestr.com.au/music/brisbane-s-rockaway-records-are-celebrating-25-years-in-business|last=Innes|first=Matt|website=scenestr - Pop Culture & Entertainment|language=en-gb|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref>

Lucinda Williams<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lucinda Williams Los Angeles Magazine|url=https://www.lamag.com/lastory/lucinda-williams-valley-girl/|last=Pierre|first=Julia St|date=2014-09-30|website=Los Angeles Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> and Tommy Dunbar{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} are among the former employees of Rockaway.

== Auctions and sales == Rockaway has a history of buying and selling large collections, as well as newsworthy and unique items.

* In 1991, the store made headlines for selling the first known copy of Prince's never-issued 1987 ''Black Album'' on CD for $13,500.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Howard|first=Pete|date=1991-06-01|title=Record $13,500 Paid For Prince 'Black Album' CD|work=ICE (International CD Exchange)}}</ref> * In 2009, the store acquired the world's largest Led Zeppelin LP collection.<ref>{{Cite web|title=World's Largest LED ZEPPELIN Collection Acquired by ROCKAWAY RECORDS|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/world-s-largest-led-zeppelin-collection-acquired-by-rockaway-records/|last=Blabbermouth|date=2009-03-11|website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> * In 2014, the store bought and sold a collection of Beatles memorabilia valued at more than half a million dollars.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} * In 2015, Rockaway sold an original drawing by John Lennon and Paul McCartney from 1967 (replicated in the Monterey International Pop Music Festival program) for $175,000.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lennon-McCartney Monterey Pop poster sells for $175,000 at L.A. record shop|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-beatles-john-lennon-paul-mccartney-poster-sale-monterey-pop-20151109-story.html|date=2015-11-10|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==

* The store was used as a filming location for the TV series ''Arliss''. * The store was used as a filming location for the movie ''Border Radio''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Border Radio: Where Punk Lived|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/461-border-radio-where-punk-lived|last=Morris|first=Chris|website=The Criterion Collection|language=en|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> * The store was used as a filming location for the reality TV series ''Gene Simmons Family Jewels''. * Erykah Badu's 2008 music video for "Honey" was filmed at Rockaway Records in Los Angeles.

== References == <references />

== External links ==

* [http://www.rockaway.com/ Official website] * [https://www.rockaway.com.au/ Official website of Rockaway Records Australia]

Category:1979 establishments in California Category:Retail companies established in 1979 Category:History of Los Angeles Category:Silver Lake, Los Angeles