Essay: My Dad Lives On, Through the Record Albums He Left Behind

Woman rediscovers dad by posting videos about his collection on Instagram

As told to

Maisy Fernandez,

AARP

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Published January 29, 2025

Jula's father Richard died when she was still a teenager. One way she connects to him is by going through his massive record collection.

Amber Bracken

It’s been two years since Jula’s father died. But in recent months, she’s been getting to know him better, through the massive vinyl record collection he left behind.

In September, the 24-year-old decided to invite the public on her journey of familial discovery. Each day she pulls an album (usually at random) from among the roughly 10,000 her dad, Richard, owned. She gives it a spin on the turntable and posts a video to Instagram with her thoughts on the music. Her account, @soundwavesoffwax, blew up practically overnight (to the point where she protects her privacy by not revealing her last name), and she now has more than 400,000 followers. Most important, the exercise has led to a whole new relationship with her late father — and unexpectedly, with her mother too.

She shares her story of intergenerational connections with AARP:

I moved back in with my mom last April, and I made the record room my bedroom. She said I could decide what to do with my dad’s records. Since I was surrounded by them daily, I started a nightly listening routine. I’ve always been aware of his love and appreciation for music, but listening to the records, I’ve been shocked at some of the random music.

a woman sitting with thousands of records

Each day Jula pulls an album (usually at random) from among the roughly 10,000 her dad, Richard, owned. She gives it a spin on the turntable and posts a video to Instagram with her thoughts on the music.

Amber Bracken

Finally, a friend suggested I post about them online. My goal with the account was: How can I continue having a dialogue about music, especially older music? I just wanted to have an online record listening party, kind of like a book club. I thought I might get about 10 followers who would be interested.

His collection is varied and eclectic in a way I wasn’t expecting. Some of the obscure music brought up a lot more questions about him. And when my viewers comment, it sometimes offers clarity. I’ll think, “Maybe that’s how he felt as well.” Or they’ll say, “This record was probably in the bargain bin and he probably just liked the cover.” Having people talk to me about the records is like having my father listening to them with me.

After talking about my dad’s records publicly, I started to reach out to some of his friends and family. I wanted to better understand why he collected records, get stories about the vinyl, and ask which ones they remember him playing the most. Through that, I’m starting to understand different time periods of his life. When he was alive, I never really asked him.

A common thread is that his love for records started in early childhood. His mother says that from 6 years old, he was obsessed with records and played them to the point that his family didn’t want him to collect anymore. They thought he was wasting his money. But instead, he continued to buy, hiding new purchases in his jacket and running straight to his room with them. That’s probably my favorite story.

hands pull out a note left next to a record

After Jula listens to an album, she writes down her thoughts and sticks them next to the record.

Amber Bracken

Most of my big memories of my dad involved him playing songs for me. When I was 6 years old, he would explain lyrics to me. He was really into songwriting, talking about lyrics and explaining things like, “This guy uses a double entendre.” I’ve been raised with that.

I listened to a lot of the Monkees and the Archies growing up. And he really liked the Who, the Beatles and Frank Zappa. Also, Burton Cummings; I went to a bunch of his concerts with my father. We listened to the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat musical all the time. I don’t think that I could listen to it now. I got burned out on it.

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Small figurines rest next to Jula's record player. The small statuettes are her signature — she sets them on the record while it spins.

Amber Bracken

Since I’ve learned more about my father after his death, I find myself asking my mother more questions now. She paints, and I ask what her paintings mean to her. I ask her where she was in time, where she lived when she created them. I want all the details.

After my father’s passing, we all dealt with the grief in our own ways. We stopped talking about him as much and tried to move on. Now, we have this really positive outlet to explore him and continue the conversation of his life and his music.

My mom is really happy for me and my father over the success of this Instagram account. It’s a nice family celebration. Sometimes, she’ll listen to the records with me. I’ll pull a record and laugh, wondering what it was doing in his collection. She’ll tell me to post it, then we read the comments together and laugh. It has brought us a lot of happiness.

In a way, I’m living out my father’s dream, which sounds really intense. He always wanted to be a disc jockey. He was always making playlists, burning CDs and making mixtapes. His thing was talking about and sharing music.

Of The Dream Academy's album “Remembrance Days” (1987), Jula says it's cinematic and ethereal: “The music didn’t have to rush anywhere. It was breathing.”

Amber Bracken

Any big collector’s dream is to have their collection shared and enjoyed. But having an audience interested in it, engaging with it and having conversations around it, is the most wholesome full circle. He collected these records almost for me. I feel so much support from him. I think about him smiling and bursting into stars because of what I’m doing.

Of Doug Lucas' album “Niara” (1975): “I never listened to jazz music, but it’s going to be played much more in my life.”

Amber Bracken

Two of Jula’s favorite spins so far

Doug Lucas, Niara (1975)

I never listened to jazz music, but it’s going to be played much more in my life. This record has a crazy use of sound, which I adore. There’s a nice use of trumpets. The keyboard is twinkling, light and pretty and grounded. I played it for my mom and my friend. It’s so cool and has a really nice atmosphere to it.

The Dream Academy, Remembrance Days (1987)

I had never heard of them before. They have some pretty songs — with that 1980s synth sound — that are moody and atmospheric. Cinematic and ethereal. The music didn’t have to rush anywhere. It was breathing.

AARP essays share a point of view in the author’s voice, drawn from expertise or experience, and do not necessarily reflect the views of AARP.

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