Crippa Music Store, also known as Crippa’s Music and Appliances, was a music store in Hibbing, Minnesota, the hometown of Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman). This store is often mentioned in biographies and interviews because it’s where a young Dylan bought some of his first music records and equipment.
The store owner, Paul Crippa, was known to be supportive of local young musicians and had a significant impact on Dylan’s early musical development. Dylan would listen to music and buy records at Crippa’s that exposed him to a wide range of musical styles, from rock ‘n’ roll to blues to folk, which would later influence his own musical style.
Crippa Music, 313 East Howard Street, Hibbing, MN 55746, opened in 1949 and sold sheet music and vinyl records. During the noon hour and after school Bob was known to stop by Chet Crippa’s and charge sheet music and records to his father Abe’s account.
“Gripped with a passion for music—particularly the blues—Bob wrote off for records he heard advertised on the radio. “Brother Gatemouth” Page sold records for Stan’s Rockin’ Record Shop in Shreveport, huckstering special $3.49 deals for six recordings. There was no way to buy this so-called race music in Hibbing as the assistant in Crippa’s music store downtown had never heard of the artists Bob liked.”
“The saleslady at Crippa’s explains that Bob doesn’t sell well in Hibbing. People don’t like his voice. Some of the other groups that do his songs — the Byrds, Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez — they sell a whole lot better. But Saleslady likes Bob. She sold him his first harmonica. And harmonica rack. Had to order that special. Bob was in Crippa’s a lot. From the time he was just a little boy. Always fascinated by music. Would spend hours in the store listening to records. All kinds. Liked classical music at first. But, sometime during his junior high school years, he got interested in popular music. Blues, country, rock and roll, everything. Chet Crippa remembers ordering all of Hank Williams’ records for Bob, at one fell swoop. Chet outfitted Bob’s rock band too. With amplifiers, mikes, guitars, right down to picks and guitar strings. Chet remembers that in those days Bob carried his guitar with him wherever he went. An old beat-up Sears and Roebuck job, with a leather strap. Slung it over his shoulder and down his back, through snowstorms and everything.”
At Crippa’s Howard Street music store, Bob grabs a Gene Vincent album. At Feldman’s clothing store, they buy blue caps with little visors, like Vincent’s boys wear in the movies. Back in Bob’s room, they spin the record while John pretends to bang a guitar and Bob takes the part of the rockabilly rebel: Be bop a lula she’s ma bay-ba…be bop a lula don’t mean may-ba.
Carol Grillo Bryant-Bushinger
“I worked in Crippa Music Sore in the 50’sand got yo visit with Bob almost daily. He was particularly interested in the blues music of Muddy Waters and BB King. Non is the one who ran up to me in Hibbing High School hallway to report that he had just heard the Buddy Holly had been killed. I last saw Bob on the University of Minnesota campus in fall 1959”
Crippa Music, 313 East Howard Street, Hibbing, MN 55746, became Jerry Erickson’s Erickson’s Music which then became Chuck Rupar’s Rupar Music, which closed on 1 June 2012.
Research and Aricle by Cansu Demir
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