High Fidelity: Keeping Vinyl Alive
In a world of algorithms and streaming, High Fidelity Records stands as a reminder of a better approach to finding your music. For the owner Ray Wilson, it all started with passion.
Why Start a Record Store?
Ray started collecting records again around 2008 or 2009. He got his start with a small booth inside the NAT Ballroom! The side gig gained traction, the community welcomed it, and eventually it evolved into a full-time record store.
Why Amarillo?
Ray moved here in 1978. With two kids still in high school at the time. Amarillo had been home and where he needed to plant. Building a business here was rooted in family and community, and that shows!
Over the years, that community has grown far beyond what most people might expect from the Texas Panhandle.
Famous Faces Who’ve Passed Through
Many peoples favorite facts about the store include the celebrities that have came to visit!
Artists who have walked through the doors include:
Billy Corgan
André 3000
Donivan Blair from The Toadies
Opeth
Jenny Lewis
SA Martinez from 311
Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse
Top 5 Must-Have Records
Aja – Steely Dan
1984 – Van Halen
The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
Animals – Pink Floyd (his personal favorite)
A Love Supreme – John Coltrane
“Anything by Sade”
Coolest Record So Far in 2026
Two standouts this year:
The Stranger Things 5 soundtrack
Duran Duran greatest hits collection
The First Record
Every collector has their first piece, and for Ray it was a couple albums that started the passion:
Dynasty – KISS
The Night Is Still Young – Sha Na Na
Favorite Instrument
Six-string guitar.
Favorite Styles & Performers
Ray gravitates toward dark wave and post-punk!
Ray mentioned Sting and Prince as his favorite performers, and said he prefers artists who wrote beyond trends. Artists who said something.
What Does the World Need to Listen to More?
Sting’s greatest hits collection, 25 Years.
“If people really listened to those songs, we’d have a better understanding of world peace, love, relationships, and our responsibility to each other — and to the planet. It would be a game changer.”
Record Store Day — Why It Matters
Record Store Day, this year on April 18, was designed specifically for independent record stores, not antique malls or big-box retailers. It becomes the single biggest day of the year for the business, and is one of the best days to go support!
It’s meant to recreate something we have almost forgotten, which is the excitement of a new release day.
When a hot record dropped, people lined up outside the store. Concert tickets used to have lines. Movies had lines. Merch had lines. Sometimes things sold out.
Now everything is instant.
And maybe that’s the problem.
“We’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a fan and not get everything we want 100% of the time.”
Part of being a fan is missing out on that certain vinyl, shirt, or sticker… and still coming back. Still hunting.
That hunt builds appreciation. It pays dues.
Supporting local
High Fidelity also hosts local musicians, artists, and more! Always giving to the community and providing a safe space. One of our very favorite things is seeing them selling local bands merch like BERZERK!
The Problem with Algorithms
Streaming platforms know exactly what to show us. The algorithm feeds us what it thinks we already like. Not much that’s new.
But record stores are different.
A cool album cover might catch your eye. You might buy something you’ve never heard of. You might branch out.
That’s how discovery used to happen.
And maybe that’s where the magic still lives.
Step outside your comfort zone.
Flip through the crates. Buy something unexpected. Stay hunting.
Learn more about our 806 music scene and the people apart of it via Loud and Heavy Booking.
