PITTSBURGH, PA (CelebrityAccess) – Beloved owner of Jerry’s Records passes at the age of 73, a cause of death was not released. Jerry’s Records, located in Squirrel Hill and a vinyl empire was ranked among the best record stores in the world.
After enlisting in the Army (1969-1971), Weber returned home as a mail carrier. Intrigued by records and comics, he partnered with friend Jim Petruzzi and paid $75 for a space above a bar – turning it into the Record Graveyard in 1978, per the Post-Gazette. He then ventured out on his own acquiring another space above McDonald’s on Forbes Avenue with Garbage Records, which became Jerry’s Records in the late 80’s, and then moved to Squirrel Hill in 1994.
Jerry’s was visited over the years by artists such as Robert Plant and Mike Ness, eager to get a glimpse of the tremendous collection of vinyl records. Weber sold the record company in 2017 to Chris Grauzer who kept the name due to its reputation. He acquired a collection of approximately 500,000 records. Weber then continued to sell vinyl out of his warehouse in Swissvale, where he had another 500,000 records and his own collection numbering 20,000 or more.
As news of his passing spread on social media, Anthony Lamonde of the Borstal Boys had this to say, “So sad to hear a friend and beautiful soul has left us. Jerry always was a kind soul. Here’s just one story about him. My best friend passed away and I helped his mother go through his things and we got all his albums together to take to Jerry. Now of course we took the good ones out that we wanted and brought the rest up. Jerry knew the money was for Patty so he gave me way more than they were worth and told me to tell Patty that he’s there for her if she needed anything.”
Music to My Ear, another Pittsburgh record store posted on Facebook, “Today, joining the rest of the city and vinyl lovers in this region and beyond, we mourn the loss of and remember Pittsburgh’s beloved Jerry Weber. He was a friend to so many of us at Music To My Ear. In fact, it was HE who provided our first few thousand records or so when Music To My Ear first opened its doors in 2012. His kindness and smiles will not be forgotten, nor will his love for recorded music on vinyl. Thank you, Jerry, for connecting so many of us through your passion for records!”
Weber is survived by his son Willie Weber, daughter Johnna Weber-Clark and grandchildren Woodrow, Zach, Jade, Tyler and Sophia.
