Ep. 75 Rob Chapman (Navarre, MCA, Sanctuary, Author)

2500 DelMonte Street: The Oral History of Tower Records

Rob Chapman likes The Rolling Stones. Wait…check that. Rob Chapman loooooves The Rolling Stones. Not only that, but he regularly corresponds with a couple of the guys in the band. Several years ago Rob wrote a book about a very interesting period in the band’s history, Ron Wood and Keith Richards’ side project The New Barbarians. Rob went deep on this project and the result is the book “New Barbarians: Outlaws, Gunslingers and Guitars”.

So what does this have to do with Tower Records, you’re asking?

It just so happens that Rob Chapman called on many of the Sacramento and South Bay area stores as a rep for Navarre and then MCA Records from 1993-1997. Rob quickly learned to pop into Sacramento’s main office to get to know the players there and to make himself known to the people who can help rally support behind a project.

This week’s episode covers alot of the daily goings on of working the Sacramento market, the feeling of coming into Sacramento as an outsider, being taken in by Watt Avenue’s Mike Jerrick only to experience his passing away as Rob was leaving the area and the many trials and tribulations of being a Sales Rep calling on the Tower accounts.

Rob also takes behind us behind the scenes and into the world of Ron Wood and Keith Richards while he worked on his New Barbarians book. We discuss actual riots in the midwest when suggested “friends” like Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger didn’t show up to play with Ron & Keith. The book comes with a live CD of New Barbarians performances from the 70’s. Rob explains why some songs made the cut and others didn’t.

We loved talking to Rob and think that you’ll enjoy this episode immensely.