Pete Smolen Obituary, Founder Of Sounds Familiar Record Has Passed Away

Pete Smolen Obituary, Death – Pete Smolen has unfortunately died away. During my time in college, I worked in a record store called “Sounds Familiar.” Pete was the store’s founder, proprietor, and the person who gave it its heart and soul. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have counted him as a friend and mentor throughout my life, along with all of the other members of my Sounds Familiar family.

He was an amazing friend and guide. In addition, we functioned as a family, spending time together both at work and in our social lives. When Jude E. Cooper’s pals would inquire who she was going out with on a Friday night, she would often respond with the quip “Sounds Familiar” My time spent working at Sounds Familiar with Pete was without a doubt the most significant, impactful, and memorable of my whole career.

People still come up to me and say, “I know you from somewhere,” and it takes me a while to figure out that they recognize me from the record store where I used to live and work and love and laugh some 40 years ago. There are countless anecdotes and experiences that come to mind when I think about Pete Smolen, but if I were to boil it all down, I’d have to say that he meant the world to me, and that without him, the world will be a much poorer place.