Interview: Halifax’s Vinyl Legacy with Jimmy Donnelly from Taz Records

We sat down with owner Jimmy Donnelly to talk about inheriting and expanding on a vinyl empire the Maritimes.

Since 1983, Taz Records has been a cornerstone of Halifax’s music scene where collectors, newcomers, and crate-diggers all meet. While the Maratimes has built a reputation for Folk and Celtic sounds, record shops like Taz Records make it a point to bring new sounds to the east coast as well as honor musicians locally that are inspiring a new definition of Nova Soctian music.

For anyone new to the scene, who are you, and what’s the story behind Taz Records?

Jimmy: I’m Jimmy Donnelly. I own and operate Taz Records here in HRM. We have our glorious Halifax flagship store right, our Bedford location, which is the prettiest one, and Dartmouth, which we’re really proud of. We also own Backstreet Records, with two locations in New Brunswick, Saint John and Fredericton. We acquired those a year ago now.

How long have you been in the Halifax area?

Jimmy: I was born in Halifax. Born and raised. Federal Avenue. West End crew.

How long has Taz Records been part of the scene?

Jimmy: Taz was founded in 1983 by Bob Switzer, a name that still rings out. I got involved in 2010 after finishing university. It was a choice between getting a “real job” or managing a record store. I decided to shirk my commerce responsibilities and slang wax. I make light of it, but the commerce knowledge comes in handy for running the store.

It was the one store in Dowtown Halifax when I started, and then I thought, “Well, golly gee, why don’t we open one in Bedford?” So we did. Then came Dartmouth. The urge to build just keeps coming. It builds, and then I must act.

What’s the most exciting part of running the stores?

Jimmy: Ordering, for sure. I do most of it myself, and I handle all the large used collections. That’s my favorite part, buying collections and finding hidden gems.

How did your love for vinyl start?

Jimmy: It started with my dad. My dad gave me some Elvis Presley records when I was about five or six. I got Elvis, A Legendary Performer, which is four volumes. My dad, “Old Man Billy,” managed a Sam the Record Man back in the day when record stores were everywhere. It’s in the blood. I’ve always collected things like trading cards, comics, CDs, and records.

How has the vinyl culture changed since you started at Taz Records?

Jimmy: The biggest change is who’s buying. So many more young people. We sell whatever the current pop smash is now, which wasn’t the case ten years ago.

The availability has exploded. Everything noteworthy is on press now. Back then, you’d dream about Warner reissuing the Zeppelin catalog. Now, it’s all out there. The challenge is finding quality used vinyl because everyone scoops it up fast.

Which record sits at the absolute top of your personal canon?

Jimmy: What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye. It’s an undisputed masterpiece. Soulful, poetic, thoughtful. It has everything.

In what ways does Taz Records collaborate with the local music scene?

Jimmy: As much as time allows. We carry local artists, do in-store displays, and sponsor events when we can. We used to host more in-store shows, but that got tricky post-COVID. I still want to bring that back. This year, where looking forward to putting on a few showcases for Nowadays Festival and highlight a few of the performing artist vinyl in store which has been exciting.

Which Halifax artist should every vinyl lover have spinning on their turntable?

Jimmy: Always Joel Plaskett. There’s some bias since I press his albums and his back catalog, but Ashtray Rock is a go-to.

I kept bugging him to repress some of his older albums that had sold out. Finally, I said, “Hey Joel, why don’t I just do it for you?” Now I’ve repressed four and I’m working on another. It’s great when you can deal directly with the artist and they own their masters. It’s way easier than going through a major.

Are there any records or reissues you’re especially proud to have worked on?

Jimmy: King George Life of a Kingpin. That was the first album I repressed and it was pressed throught Precisioin Record Pressing. Everyone knew King George from the No Limit crew, and I wanted to be the one to give that record the treatment it deserved. I tracked down the owner of the master, Tobin Costen and struck a deal. I glad I did it when I did becuse, unfortunatly, he passed away a few years ago and it was one of those special records that when I came out was underground. Now, people can enjoy it as I have and it's available to discover on vinyl.

Check out Taz Records here.

Header photo by Taz Records