Ep. 61 Jen Gies (Clark Street Chicago, Nashville, Corporate Marketing)

2500 DelMonte Street: The Oral History of Tower Records

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This week’s episode takes us away from the coasts and back into the heartland. Jen Gies is originally from Chicago and it was at Tower Records on Clark Street where she began her career with the company, hired in as a Holiday temp employee. As luck would have it, her first day working at Tower happened to be the same her favorite band was doing an in-store launch for their second album. Starting in the classical department, she moved into the Jazz Department when a spot opened.

It was in the Jazz department that Jen discovered Bela Fleck & The Flecktones which became a musical obsession for her. This led to Jen’s education into bluegrass music and when the Country, Folk & Bluegrass buyer position opened up, it went to Jen. One of the more fascinating stories involved Jen’s search for a little-known album that turned out to be miscoded in the New Age section. Jen began to buy box lots, feature it on listening stations, and talk it up to her customers. Jen sent sales reports of this little-known recording to the President of the record label and what followed next tells you everything you need to know about the music business in the 90’s.

Deciding to move to Nashville, it took a year before a position at the West End Tower store opened up. It was there that Jen got to experience the Nashville scene and all its glory. Jen talks about the many drop-ins from the Nashville recording elite, many before they became famous, and some country royalty that came in to shop with her assistance.

Join us for an exciting look into the Tower career of Jen Gies and the goings-on at two of Tower’s best-known stores.