A Tribute to My Dad, Al

My Dad, Albert or Al- or maybe even King Bully depending upon who you ask; was born on October 14th, 1959 on a cool Autumn afternoon. He was born at The Woman’s Hospital (on 109th and Amsterdam) the first dedicated women’s hospital in this country, which later moved to St. Luke’s Campus (now Mt. Sinai Morningside). He was the only child of Alberto and Ines; quite a miracle as my grandparents were both in their 40’s- which was rare in the 1950’s. My grandparents were both Cuban, my Abuela was from the capital and largest city Habana whereas my Abuelo was from a family of sugar cane farmers in Pinar del Río. They met and were married here in New York City.

My Abuelo always said that my Dad was born one minute too late for lunch as he was a tall and lanky child regardless of my Abuela’s attempts to thicken him up. He enjoyed playing outside as most children of the 60’s did- playing marbles, turning milk crates into scooters, and the normal ball games NYC kids would play. He was a trusted big brother to so many even though he did not have any siblings from either parent. What he loved most of all is going with my Abuela to the Five and Dime. He recounted to me that as a child at first he would look at toys, but by about 7-8 years old he began looking at records while my Abuela shopped. He told me at first he would look and then wait for her to finish shopping but as the years went on she had to wait for him and eventually drag him away from the music section. Music was always his truest love.

He attended Holy Name of Jesus School in his same neighborhood, La Salle Academy and ultimately graduated from Louis D. Brandies High School. His first job was bagging and delivering groceries as many children did back then, a time before regulations and working papers. My Abuelo saved the first tip he ever made, a shiny dime, a prized possession he recently gave to me. By about 15 years old he started working in a local record shop. Most people take years, even decades to determine what their calling in life is but my Dad has always been different. He found his passion through music and was able to build his community from this deep passion. If you get to reach this level of adoration for anything in life consider yourself lucky because it is truly rare.

Besides being a music connoisseur by Dad has always been great with numbers, arithmetic, and bookkeeping. After graduating from Brandies he decided to pursue accounting in college. He was completely disillusioned as so many of us are by the educational system. He could not solely focus on accounting and math classes and was frustrated by the bombardment of required humanities courses. He completed the semester and never went back. Luckily he was able to land a good job as a doorman in a luxury building in downtown Manhattan. Unbeknownst to him this served as a catalyst for so many aspects of his future.

While he was working as a doorman the original Worth Street location of Downtown Records opened its doors in 1979. Many of you reading this are here right now because of this record shop. My Dad worked odd hours and would come hang out at Downtown Records every day after work- we’ll call this his daily volunteer work. He became a staple at Downtown and quickly became a regular, eventually after nearly 2 years was offered a position there. What I appreciate most about this era of his life is that in every single picture of him at the shop he has a huge smile on his face. He found his tribe of “Record Junkies” and for this I am forever grateful. The friendships he made during this era were nothing short of a blessing. I can say that these friendships last a lifetime but as I am reflecting on his life its evident that these bonds last more than just one lifetime.

My Dad had A LOT of fun during the 80’s. He frequented The Loft, Paradise Garage, 10/18, and many other venues- some I’m sure he would never want his daughter in. But this was the era before he became a Dad; young, wild, and free. The next cohort of those reading this likely know him from this era. My Dad has this inner spark paired with his wholesome goofiness that makes it so easy to love him. He connected with so many people and towards the end of the 80’s ultimately these same connections led him to meet my Mom.

My Dad met my Mom on a blind double date as a favor to his friend (Hi Pipo). Always the gentleman, my Dad accidentally spilled water all over my Mom trying to refill her glass. I always loved this story because even withstanding these haphazard circumstances he still somehow managed to get my Mom to go out with him again! Now here is the part of the story where most need to exaggerate about how special they are to their parent, the special love and bond they share, etc… Not me! My Dad’s world completely changed when they found out they were pregnant with me. Even in his last days of life on earth he shared stories with the nurses of how when they were pregnant it was never my Mom’s pregnancy but instead always lovingly claimed “we were pregnant.” I want to put this into perspective for you all, my Dad was born to two very traditional Cuban immigrants. My Abuelo was an involved father and was always extremely proud of his namesake but this was different. My Dad prided himself on being able to get my Mom pickles and ice cream from Pathmark at 4:07 AM. He prided himself on the fact that he changed my diapers and carried me in the Snuggly every single day. Music was his first love but I am his true love. Tears pour down my face as I write these words because I am so mad that he is no longer physically here however I am so so grateful that God chose him to be my Dad. My Dad loved me with everything in him.

Okay, okay, okay… You all already know how amazing I am and how I am obviously the greatest thing that ever happened to my Dad, so lets get back to the music. Dad continued working at Downtown until about 1992 but working in music retail truly never ended. Remember that same charisma I mentioned earlier? Well that ability to network wound up connecting him directly to the record labels and he started working independently on the distribution side. My Dad had an ear for music like no other. He was quickly able to identify which albums would be hits and even the underrated ones that he would be able to sell to the more refined connoisseur. This went on for several years and I feel as these were the most influential years of my life. Watching him carry over 200 pounds of vinyl or CD’s just to ensure I had everything I needed truly taught me what a good work ethic is. I am forever grateful for him including me on these ventures and always buying me a Beanie Baby at the end of a hard day’s work. He taught me the value of honest work and earning your rewards.

Later in the 90’s and 2000’s he worked in several other record shops including but not limited to The Hut and HMV. He continued selling music independently but at this point we have stepped into the Napster generation. Streaming music online (often illegally) destroyed the music industry as we knew it. At this point he started focusing more on vinyl and finding his niche of people who actually had a passion for the music and prided themselves on their individual collections. He got a more traditional job co-owning a pizzeria with my Godfather (Hi Padrino) and at a point I even worked with them selling pizza and overpriced beer at the old Yankee Stadium. True to his colors he eventually found his way back to the music. He started working in Record Mart inside the Times Square 42nd street subway station. He was back to his roots and here he thrived for years.

In the 2010’s my Dad faced some very serious health issues that dimmed his light ever so slightly. He was suddenly diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis that manifested as daily pain in his legs and spine. If you didn’t see the new swagger in his step you would never know because regardless of the pain he faced he always wore a smile and cracked a joke. His goal was to get back to work but more importantly back to the music and ultimately he persevered and did just that. He returned to Record Mart and started taking a more active role in promoting live music events. He attended flea markets as well - you could truly catch him anywhere as long as there was music playing.

2020- forget the fear of y2k or the 2012 Mayan calendar- 2020 was the most unpredictable and loathsome time of so many of our lives. NYC shut down in a way no one could have ever imagined. Sadly with this live music events came to a crashing halt. As so many of us did my Dad really struggled having his everything he enjoyed suddenly taken away from him. We all lost so many loved ones. My Dad often brought up some many of his friends from all his different walks of life who had suddenly passed due to Covid-19. When life slowly started returning to normal, no one appreciated it quite as much as my Dad. He started attending and hosting live events again with his Range Music Group family in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. He continued to fight health issues, but the fight was back in him and that’s all I ever asked of him.

Although we had moved back home to help my Dad keep his independence as best as possible, he lived with daily pain. He never complained but you just knew it. If he had an event planned and that day it was raining suddenly he did not want to go and canceled last minute. We started being more aggressive with his care plan but since he refused to take prescription pain-killers and always made light of his situation, I feel as though the doctors truly failed him. I say this to you all not so you can pity him (absolutely not my Dad always did what HE wanted to do) but so you can treat everyone you encounter with the kindness that my Dad did. He lived in pain yet all he did was smile and make jokes. The next time someone tries you patience please just choose kindness. Put on a song that reminds you of my Dad and give them the benefit of the doubt. Honor my Dad my knowing that we all suffer silent battles that no one truly knows about.

In 2024 we spent the majority of the year in the hospital. He struggled with inflammation of his leg but while at Mt. Sinai: Morningside/ St. Luke’s he contracted Covid-19. His leg improved dramatically after surgery and physical therapy however since he was immunocompromised he could not kick the Covid. His attitude remained positive and his charisma contagious as always- and inviting all the pretty doctors and nurses to Soul Summit naturally. Everyone was rooting for him, that’s just the effect he has on people.

Time is never in our favor, every moment is so precious. The same Covid that he lost so many loved ones to, ultimately took his physical presence from us. He was not alone, even when his doctors restricted visitation because of how aggressive his case was, we still showed up for him. So many friends and family called, texted, and even showed up at the hospital against the doctors wishes. Since my Dad was an only child my Mom, Aunt, and husband stepped in to kick me out of his room so I could go home to shower and eat. In his final moments on this Earth he was never alone. In his decades of living in the same area and years of going to St. Luke’s he had befriended so many of the hospital staff. On their breaks they would drop in to check on him. My Dad FOUGHT. Boy did he fight. We listened to all his music, watched game shows and Yankee games together in those last few weeks. The Yankees winning game after game took us both back to the 90’s and our days working at the old Yankee Stadium. They poked and prodded him, changed medications endlessly but ultimately his lungs couldn’t keep up with his vivacious spirit. In his final hours my husband, my Mom and I never left his side. You all never left his side ever. The day he physically left us he had 2 friends come visit and 3 calls to the nurse’s station. He fought with everything in him and we did everything possible to ensure he wasn’t in pain. As his heart played those final beats Skyy - “Here’s to You” played. The perfect song for my incredible Dad.

As his final gift to us he left us a playlist to be played at the Celebration of his Life and that’s exactly what we did. We did not cry but we were joyous in the person we all are blessed to share. We danced and shared stories. Everyone who was there for me in my Dad’s final days, everyone who showed up to his Celebration of Life, or his mass you will always hold a special place in my heart. My Dad didn’t have siblings from his parents yet he managed to give me a huge music family of aunts and uncles. I love each and every one of you and I am so grateful for how you all have treated me. What an honor it is to my Dad to have friends (family) like you. Nothing will ever make the pain I feel go away but having you all there for me has definitely helped. I miss you always Dad, always. Nothing compares to you.

My Dad’s spirit will forever live on. I have never met a greater person. Now this will be his living memorial. I am still newly crafting this website. I just opened this up for comments so leave a comment below and we can all share his memories, songs and light on here. Long Live my Dad, Your Brother, Alberto Marrero Jr.