My parents met on rollers, they changed over to Ice in the 60s, and I spent the last 50 years ice dancing. I would like to relive the past and hear the pieces that painted my child hood. I have search the internet but they seem to think that vintage roller skating started in the 80s. )-:

Most of the music was played on grand organs in the rinks although there were also instrumentals. These are not from public skating sessions. They were during club sessions where they had organized dances and most of the music was on tapes or records.

The vinyl LP
Ken Griffin At the Wurlitzer Organ - Skating Time - Columbia Records 1955
can be found on eBay.
Track listing : https://www.discogs.com/release/2655948 ... ating-Time

google search
Ken Griffin music youtube

You can listen to previews here...
https://us.napster.com/artist/ken-griff ... ck/jealous

Greg.
Edit: man... I've just woken up all the dogs in the neighborhood...

Interesting that I seem to be receiving multiple copies of this entry and on separate days/times.
I also believe that I responded but I do not seem to see that here.

There are some specific pieces I want for my play list. Those samples gave me two titles that I did not know but recalled the music.

Thanks

There were record labels that made records specifically for rinks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CzylHvREX4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-aA4DkvPyY

The Pennsylvania made it to my playlist but the second one, I did not recognize
Thank you....

There is a ton of skating rink music on youtube, mainly organ related since that was what the vast majority of indoor roller and ice skating rinks preferred back in the day.

I totally love the 50's and 60's stuff. Ken Griffin was the absolute king of skating music in the late 40's and 50's, and would have continued but for his untimely death. His unique keyboard styling is unmistakable, and many others tried to copy it.

I used to date a girl who played a B3 in a local roller skating rink in the 60's, alternating with her mother and another organist. I never had any interest in actually skating, but went just to watch and particularly to listen to the music.

It's probably too new for your preferences but look online for Johnny Sharp, who used to play in rinks in Ohio, and has some recent video recordings playing in the vintage style some of the same songs that were popular back in the 60's like Honky Tonk Train Blues, Rinky Dink, and Baby Elephant Walk, to name just a few which are really fun to listen to.

"There is a ton of skating rink music on youtube, "

Yes, I have been tripping over a lot of it. Especially the sites that claim "Vintage Roller Skating from way back in the 80s! (-:

Very little of what I have found actually was played in roller or ice skating clubs. Public Skating music has far fewer regulations. To be club music means that it has to be of a certain beat and beats/measure so that one could perform the pattern dances. Some club sites have the music posted but not very many.

It is a difficult find.

Ken Griffin is a good source; Leon Berry is also a great player. I have an Lp of his that was recorded at The Hub roller rink, in Chicago. They may be hard to find, but maybe dig around on Ebay. Most of those albums are theater organ recordings, not smaller console type, or Hammonds. Theater organ sound is what would be the best. EDIT: I just checked to see if I had any duplicate albums...I have one by Al Melgard at the Chicago Stadium...so, if you are interested...
RW