When Brad Hales opened Peoples Records in Detroit’s Cass Corridor in 2003, he envisioned something of a sanctuary: a place for people to bring in their vintage records that might otherwise have been thrown in a dumpster or razed under a dilapidated building, and an unpretentious hangout for music lovers of all generations. In the years since, Peoples has realized that vision, and then some. Step inside either of its two locations – one in Green Acres; the other in Eastern Market, where it doubles as the ephemera-filled Michigan Audio Heritage Society Museum – and you can’t help but lose yourself in the history of Motor City sounds, from Motown and northern soul and funk to artist-run jazz labels, early punk rock and the foundational sides of modern electronic music that still thrive today. Brad himself embodies his hometown’s musical legacy as a revered rare soul DJ and working musician who’s played in support of legends like Nathanial Mayer and Geno Washington.
