When The Beatles hit America, it came at about the perfect time for Joe Medwick. Just months earlier, when he was 7 years old, his father had passed away, a crushing moment in young Joe’s life. But it wasn’t as though The Beatles were his introduction to music. Joe had older brothers and sisters with album collections he borrowed and pored over. Joe says he felt like music being a central part of his life was preordained.
Playing in bands at a very young age and listening to a diverse Top 40 radio (both US and Canadian based stations) helped build Joe’s music knowledge and tastes as he set out into the world. Attending San Francisco State University, Joe did a short stint at Rainbow Records before getting hired at the Columbus & Bay Tower Records in 1980. Like many before him, Joe remembers the key players and personalities of that store at a particularly memorable time.
Joe started making moves in his Tower career on the Video side, first transferring to the Sherman Oaks store as an Assistant Manager and then to Concord as the Video Store Manager. In the mid 80’s taking on the position of Video Store Manager for NYC’s Lincoln Center store and then as Regional Manager for Tower’s East Coast stores filled up Joe’s professional time, while catching shows at legendary music haunts like The Lone Star Cafe took up his evenings and early mornings. All the while, Joe was also writing for PULSE! magazine when the assignment hit him.
A move to West Sacramento to as head of the Video Division and running TVID started out well, but ultimately it didn’t fulfill Joe. Listening to offers from LA-based headhunters, Joe took positions at a varitey of southern California entertainment companies and publications. The people Joe worked with or ran into during the time were quite different than the familial Tower vibe he was used to.
These days Joe Medwick concetrates on his music career. His two most recent releases are available to listen at joemedwick.com. You can also find upcoming tour dates there, too.
Join us for an entertaining, exhaustive look into the career of Joe Medwick.
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