Dave Grohl has been named Record Store Day Ambassador for 2015.
The Foo Fighters frontman follows in the footsteps of previous ambassadors Ozzy Osbourne, Jack White, Chuck D and Iggy Pop.
Grohl says in a statement that record stores shaped his musical development and urges people to support their local stores.
He says: “1975’s K-Tel’s Block Buster 20 Original Hits By The Original Stars featuring Alice Cooper, War, Kool & The Gang, Average White Band and many more, bought at a small record shop in my suburban Virginia neighbourhood – it was this record that changed my life and made me want to become a musician.
“The second that I heard Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein kick in, I was hooked. My life had been changed forever. This was the first day of the rest of my life.
“Growing up in Springfield, Virginia in the 70s and 80s, my local independent record stores were magical, mysterious places that I spent all of my spare time and money in, finding what was to eventually become the soundtrack of my life.
“These places became my churches, my libraries, my schools. They felt like home. And, I don’t know where I would be today without them.”
He continues: “More recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to rediscover this sense of excitement, that magical feeling of finding something all one’s own, by watching my kids go through it.
“I believe that the power of the record store to inspire is still alive and well, and that their importance to our next generation of musicians is crucial. Take an afternoon (and some hard-earned lawn-mowing money) and please support them. You never know, it might change your life forever, too.”
Record Store Day was devised in 2007 to raise awareness of and drum up business for independent record stores in the US and UK. This year’s RSD is on April 18 and is sure to feature a string of limited edition releases from various artists.
Sales of vinyl records have enjoyed a surge in recent years, although the music industry has dismissed it as a fad.
