Record Store Day this year comes with a WDET collaboration with Third Man Records and a pretty great Detroit story. 

Back in 1999, the first live radio broadcast of The White Stripes aired on WDET. That performance has now been pressed to vinyl by Third Man Records, with a limited run available at their Midtown storefront starting at 11 a.m. this Saturday. We’ll also be broadcasting live from Third Man on Record Store Day.

A long time coming

WDET archives are surprisingly sparse, in part due to the losses the station experienced when the old studios at the top of the Maccabees Building had a destructive fire. Resource scarcity of non-commercial public media also deflected attention from archival work to the daily grind of timely programming.

So, you can imagine my surprise when one of our producers brought a burned CD to my attention just a few weeks after starting at WDET. On that blank disc scrawled with sharpie was 6 songs by the White Stripes that originally aired live on Willy Wilson’s radio program on February 5, 1999. Those six songs include “Sugar Never Tasted So Good,” “The Big Three Killed My Baby,” “Do,” “Jimmy the Exploder,” “Screwdriver” and “Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground.”

I knew that WDET had a proud history of recording sessions with some legendary acts —especially prior to the format changes of the 00’s that briefly abandoned the music legacy Detroit Public Radio had become famous for—but I was delighted at the quality and energy of the performance, and even more shocked that these recordings had not been shared since the original broadcast.

The audio from these live sessions is uncanny—here is a home-grown product of the burgeoning garage rock scene on the cusp of greatness, and we have this distillation of something powerful, just seething and ready to burst. 

Cass Corridor collaboration

Luckily, WDET has great neighbors and friends here in the Cass Corridor and the good folks at Third Man Records agreed this was something they could and should approach the band with. It passed the muster, and the band and label agreed to release a limited edition run to aid WDET in fundraising.

We couldn’t be happier to see this music available to fans, and to celebrate the connection between the incredible artists that make our city what it is, and the station that’s been committed to reflecting it. 

A big thanks from WDET to the White Stripes, and to Roe Peterhans, Dave Buick and the great staff at Third Man Records. And to Jack White—whose commitment to Detroit’s music culture continues to create moments like this—we’re grateful for all he’s done to help keep that legacy alive.

Jam with us at Third Man 

If you want to get your hands on this vinyl-pressed piece of Detroit’s music mythos, join us at Third Man Records on Canfield starting at 11 a.m. on Record Store Day. We’ll be broadcasting live from the store with Ann Delisi, Rob Reinhart, and Jon Moshier.

This release is available in-store only, and each customer is limited to one purchase of the record for $101.90. The net proceeds of the album will support WDET in days yet to come. This is a limited edition pressing and we know it will sell out fast, so don’t delay!

Happy record store day from the staff at WDET!

Detroit’s musical influence stretches far beyond the city, reaching record stores, listeners, and cultures across the globe.

In Lucerne, Switzerland, a small shop called Co-mix Remix is built around that sound. Owner Walter Beer says Detroit music has shaped not just his taste, but his entire approach to collecting and sharing records.

“It’s all the music from Detroit that influenced me. The soul, the funk, the Motown. It’s connected to hip-hop and to house music. Without Detroit, life would be not so fun.”

From Motown classics to underground house, Detroit’s sound fills the store. Artists like Marvin Gaye and J Dilla are central to that influence, with Dilla’s legacy honored through an annual tribute night in Lucerne.

That connection extends beyond music. Walter says his admiration for Detroit culture led him to adopt the Detroit Lions as his favorite team, linking the city’s sound with its sports identity.

“It’s not just about the music,” he said. “It’s about music and football now. The connection is amazing.”

With Record Store Day approaching, independent shops around the world are preparing to celebrate vinyl culture and the communities built around it.

Detroit’s sound continues to move across borders, shaping scenes and connecting listeners in places far from where it began.

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org. 

This Saturday is Record Store Day, an industry holiday created in 2008 to support independent record stores when the record industry was in shambles. Every year, music fans and collectors flock to their local shop to see what’s going on, enjoy live music and DJ’s, discounts, and exclusive new releases. 

After more than 15 years, we wanted to know how Record Store Day has changed since its inception, and the state of record-collecting today.

To find out The Metro’s David Leins caught up with Dave Lawson, prolific record-collector and host of The Shake Out on WDET, Tuesday nights from 8 to 9 p.m. 

He says there is something to enjoy at most every independent record store in Southeast Michigan. In addition to your local shop, these stores are independently owned and have something special on offer.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

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