As a former record store owner, Al Sheppard knows a thing or two about music history. Every Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. you can find him at Sotto Terra, located in the basement of The Sanctuary’s converted church, spinning “moldy oldies,” as he calls them, from his own extensive collection.
My Way Back Wednesday experience starts with a bright neon sign illuminating the way down the basement steps.
At the bottom of the stairs, just around the corner is a prohibition-era speakeasy, outfitted with low lighting, brick walls covered in vintage photos of glamourous women and historic street photos offering a glimpse of day-to-day life in Columbus’ past.
The round tables are fitted with tablecloths and tiny lamps with softly lit bulbs, topped by pleated fabric off-white shades. The bartender serves up martinis and Manhattans while wearing the traditional white button-up and vest.
Look to the right of the bar and you’ll see Sheppard. He is standing in front of a turntable with a rotating disco ball directly over his head. He is surrounded by a fortress of crates full of his records, many with peeling covers and yellowing cardstock, evidence of the decades that have come and gone since these records first hit the market.
He’s focused, sifting through his collection. He carefully places one on the turntable, and the room is filled with a man’s boastful singing over an orchestra ensemble. The excitement shown through Sheppard’s body language is as if the music had directly entered him, possessing him, and giving him life.
To get our conversation started, I regrettably must ask him to turn down the music and come sit with me so we can talk. He reluctantly turns down the volume.
Unprompted, he starts telling me about the record, sparing no details about obscure musicians from over a century ago. He doesn’t strike me as one for small talk, but could seemingly gab about music with anyone, never running out of knowledge to share.
This was made evident by the fun facts he shared about musicians such as Pat Boone and Phil Harris, as well as his reasons for never playing The Four Lovers and his strategies for buying and selling records.
Sheppard tells me he started collecting records as a kid, and after buying a bar on the westside of Columbus, he decided to start spinning his collection on Friday nights.
“Evidently a pretty good crowd on those nights, they knew what I was gonna play. I played all eras then. Late ‘50s ‘60s ‘70s,” he says.
When asked about his now-closed record store. He said that while it wasn’t a necessarily lucrative business, that wasn’t what mattered to him.
“It was a labor of love,” he says.
Way Back Wednesday started when dancers working upstairs at The Sanctuary insisted Sheppard start playing his records for guests at Sotto Terra, but he wasn’t keen on the idea at first and told them he wasn’t interested.
“I finally said, ‘let me think about it,’ I think they called me up again and I finally said ‘I’ll do it,” he says.
Sheppard has been a DJ before, playing weddings here and there. He would play all the hits, including dance music from the 80s.
As for his current gig at Sotto Terra, he tells me he is still trying to figure out what his audience likes to hear. He keeps a careful eye on the crowd, always reading the room and generally sticking to household favorites, such as The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly.
“I stick mainly to the ‘50s into the end of the ‘60s in terms of rock and roll,” he says, adding that he wishes he had more rhythm and blues from that time, but the records are expensive and hard to find.
He still enjoys sprinkling in some deep cuts here and there.
One day, after picking up some cheap albums at a thrift store, he decided to put one on during a set. It wasn’t a popular album or anything he had played before, but a regular, possibly Sheppard's biggest fan, was all over it.
He made a point to tell me this man never buys a drink but listens attentively to anything Sheppard plays. While he seems to find this slightly strange, I can tell he appreciates it all the same.
“He just ate those songs up. Still didn’t buy a beer. Was definitely enjoying hearing something totally different, actually for both of us,” Sheppard says.
Eager to start his set, Sheppard returns to his turntable.
One by one he pulls out albums he believes are extra special and places them up on the table for me to see. “Take a picture of that, it’s very valuable,” he says.
He throws on a Beatles album and gets some cheers from the audience. Something tells me he’d rather be playing something more obscure, less mainstream. With his 70+ years’ worth of musical knowledge, can you blame him?
While the way he shares his serendipity with Sotto Terra implies he is indifferent about his DJ exploits, it’s obvious he’s enjoying himself up there.
He looks at me and chuckles, “at this point in my life, I wouldn't do anything I don't enjoy.”
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
