Bob Abrahamian, The Numero Group, and 'Eccentric Soul'
A look at the late figure behind one of The Numero Group's essential reissues.
Numero Group co-founder Ken Shipley seemed to have a keen sense of what the reissue label’s impact would be in their very early days. “We're helping to change the lives [of the forgotten musicians],” he told Todd Leopold in a 2005 CNN interview. “It humbles you in a lot of ways."
In the years since The Numero Group has unearthed countless artists of the past who achieved little initial commercial success and helped them find new listeners. The recordings by these forgotten bands, groups, and solo acts are often just as good if not better than their major label counterparts.
In 2007 Numero Group released a new entry in their Eccentric Soul series titled Eccentric Soul: The Prix Label. The last song on the compilation was a one-take demo recording from a then-unknown sibling soul group known as Penny & The Quarters. Discovered via an estate sale, “You and Me” eventually made its way onto the 2010 Derek M. Cianfrance-directed drama Blue Valentine starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. A pitch-perfect match for the film’s heartbreaking tale of dysfunctional love, this stripped-down soul ballad has since captured the hearts of millions of listeners.
The story of “You and Me” is one of many interesting tales behind Numero Group’s beautiful reissues from the past 20 years. In recent weeks I’ve worked my way through several releases in their Eccentric Soul series. As I’ve listened to these mesmerizing collections, I found myself especially captivated by some of the songs from Eccentric Soul: Sitting in the Park.
Upon reading the background details on the Numero Group website, I was sad to learn that Chicago radio DJ and soul archivist Bob Abrahamian - whose WHPK radio show “Sitting in the Park” and personal collection of 35,000 45s inspired the Sitting in the Park compilation - died by suicide in 2014. He left quite a legacy after his passing and Abrahamian’s family recently donated his entire record collection to The Stax Museum of American Soul Music.
Like many aspects of the music industry, the reissue market has its fair share of people who are driven by greed and do not have the best interest of the musicians at heart. Too often elderly Black artists who created timeless music long ago are preyed upon by people looking to take sole control of their master recordings and backstock. It sounds like Bob cared deeply about the artists whose music he collected and loved. He treated showed them generosity, kindness, and respect.
Chicago Reader journalist Jake Austen wrote the following about his late friend Bob in a 2014 tribute.
“These R&B veterans are easy targets for ruthless predators looking to rip them off, and sometimes collectors will buy out their entire priceless personal stocks of records for a pittance, treating them more like marks than like respected elders. But Bob not only paid higher prices than most of his peers, he also paid attention. Most of these vocalists didn’t have copies of the songs they’d recorded in their high school days, and Bob would find them the records or make CD-Rs for them. He would keep them company and talk to them on the phone, long after he’d mined whatever vinyl or information he desired. He’d lend them money, help them negotiate the computer age, even occasionally help them find housing or physically help them move.”
It sounds like Bob’s benevolence sometimes came at a price. Jake admits that he would sometimes become angry and annoyed during his interactions with artists, but “he rarely revealed this side of himself to his aging heroes, whom he consistently treated with tremendous care.”
In an era where I can listen to or buy a physical copy of practically anything with the mere click of a button, it’s easy to forget that every person behind a record release has a completely unique life of their own and a community of people who love them. Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to lose sight of this in a world where art seems to be increasingly commodified and stripped of its basic humanity. As Bob did, I’m trying to make more of an effort to learn about the people behind the music I spend my days, weeks, months, and years listening to.
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Bob was an awesome person. We went to college together. He was so funny and super dedicated to his interests. I think about him often and thank you for highlighting his story. His family is also great, taking a lot of time and effort to make sure his collection ended up in a place where it'd be respected and accessible.
Thank you for sharing this! Abrahamian’s story specifically. He sounded like a class act.