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Bill Wenzel of Wenzel's Music Town and Downey Records
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Stephen C. Propes
Dec 3, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/3/99
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Bill Wenzel, founder of Wenzel's Music Town in Downey died on Nov. 20,
1999 in Golden Valley, AZ at age 87. Born on 7-26-12 in Grand Rapids,
MI, Wenzel and his several sons, William Ned, Jack, Tom and Ron moved to
the L.A. area in 1940. Wenzel found work as sound engineer for MGM
studios and in 1958, opened Wenzel's Music Town in Downey. In 1959, he
began the Jack Bee label (a combination of Jack and Bill) which he
folded into the Downey label founded in c.1960 with recording studios in
his record shop. During the run of Downey, Wenzel had about one hundred
releases on his various labels, Carmax being a third label, and produced
some of the best surf and hot rod instrumentals by the Chantays,
Rumblers and other groups along with blues, r&b, doo wop and even
country and western. Wenzel retired from the business in the 1960s with
his son Tom and Tom's spouse Maxine running the shop to date, making it
the oldest continuously extant record store in Southern California.
1999 in Golden Valley, AZ at age 87. Born on 7-26-12 in Grand Rapids,
MI, Wenzel and his several sons, William Ned, Jack, Tom and Ron moved to
the L.A. area in 1940. Wenzel found work as sound engineer for MGM
studios and in 1958, opened Wenzel's Music Town in Downey. In 1959, he
began the Jack Bee label (a combination of Jack and Bill) which he
folded into the Downey label founded in c.1960 with recording studios in
his record shop. During the run of Downey, Wenzel had about one hundred
releases on his various labels, Carmax being a third label, and produced
some of the best surf and hot rod instrumentals by the Chantays,
Rumblers and other groups along with blues, r&b, doo wop and even
country and western. Wenzel retired from the business in the 1960s with
his son Tom and Tom's spouse Maxine running the shop to date, making it
the oldest continuously extant record store in Southern California.
Steve
Dave Mackey
Dec 4, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/4/99
to
Stephen C. Propes <spr...@loop.com> wrote in message
news:3848A9...@loop.com...
> Bill Wenzel, founder of Wenzel's Music Town in Downey died on Nov. 20,
> 1999 in Golden Valley, AZ at age 87. Born
news:3848A9...@loop.com...
> Bill Wenzel, founder of Wenzel's Music Town in Downey died on Nov. 20,
> 1999 in Golden Valley, AZ at age 87. Born
I wonder if this Bill Wenzel was related to the other Bill Wenzel who died
earlier this year, also known as TV announcer Bill Wendell.
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