Bob Weinstock

Born to a Jewish family, Weinstock's interest in music began at the age of eight when bought "armfuls of records" by jazz artists at nine cents each, opening up "a new world of music" for him. As a teenager growing up in Manhattan, on the Upper West Side, Weinstock started a business selling jazz records through advertisements in the pages of Record Changer magazine from his family's apartment, with the support of his father and uncle. He couldn't play or read music, but he had an ear that enabled him to pick up the nuances of jazz. He later rented some space in the Jazz Record Center on 47th Street. Bebop drummer Kenny Clarke was among those who visited his store, promising that when Weinstock opened a record label "he would get all the jazz greats to record" for him, and introducing him to artists including Thelonious Monk.