Dearborn Music

Dearborn Music, located in Dearborn and Farmington, is an amazing cultural institution that has served the creative arts community in Michigan for over 50 years.

It was never really just a “record” store, a term commonly used since it’s origins were in selling vinyl recordings, but always a vibrant space of discovery and exploration for creative artists of all types-not simply musicians. Over the years, it’s commercial activity has evolved to include of course- 8 track tapes, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, DVD’s, CD’s and now lovingly it embraces the wonderful resurgence of vinyl.

Readers of this site know that we are committed to providing those unique cultural elements that families can embrace and visit to truly understand the subtleties of a community. Dearborn Music is a true gem in that regard. To understand Detroit, you must understand it’s music.

To understand Detroit, you must understand it’s music.

While there is probably not much to offer here for young children per se, of course it never hurts to expose your children to the sounds of Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, or Chopin-all which can be found at Dearborn Music, but for those with creative pre-teens and teens and for those parents who want to pop in for some creative stimulation while the other family members play at a nearby park or lounge at the hotel while visiting Greenfield Village, Dearborn Music is your go to place.

A thorough history of Detroit’s music scene is beyond the scope of this post, but knowing that John Lee Hooker, Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, Ted Nugent, Eminem, Kid Rock, Iggy Pop, MC5, Regina Carter, The White Stripes, Thornetta Davis, Earl Klugh, Marcus Belgrave, the DSO, Diana Ross, Carl Craig, Juan Atkins, and Derrick May and a host of “underground” musicians all have a connection to the Detroit music scene is all you need to know.

Quite simply, music is in the marrow of Detroit. It flows through our veins and has kept families and communities vibrant, creative and strong through toil, sorrow, joy and triumph.

Detroit has an embarrassment of riches in regards to its thriving creative arts community and Dearborn Music is where many musicians have had their music sold, but more importantly where they have gone to purchase music, check out the new releases, spend hours thumbing through the used recordings to find that hard to find single by some obscure act which will provide inspiration for their own next song, painting, novel, website, or just to enrich their day.

While streaming has its place in our lives, there is a visceral response to holding that vinyl, or even leaving through the booklet in a cd and listening to a complete “album”, a collection of songs that represent a unique and comprehensive artistic vision. A place where they understand the difference between Son House, Son Volt, Sun Ra, Sonny Rollins, and The Sundays-and a place that is likely to have one recording of each….

Dearborn Music is a place where artists, dreamers, and creators find solace in that perfect melody- the one that comforts, challenges, and touches the soul.

Creative travelling is all about an encounter with something new, something different, something that rouses one from the somnambulist existence that is so much contemporary life. Dearborn Music is both the thunderclap and the gentle rain that causes us to open our eyes and wonder once again.