From: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: Drummer, Producer, Filmmaker, Author, and DJ
Bands: The Roots, Soulquarians, Soultronics, Saturday Night Live Band
Collecting journey: 49 years with over 200,000 records
#1 In my opinion, the coolest fact about Quest’s vinyl collection is that his parents are in his vinyl collection! His mother and father were in a band called Congress Alley and they made one self-titled album released in 1974. His mother is pictured on the far left of the album cover and his father is pictured on the far right. How many vinyl collectors can say that their parents are in their vinyl collection??
#2 In his Time Magazine interview from 2013, he revealed that Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life album was the first vinyl record to leave a lasting imprint on him. He stated that his first grade teacher introduced him to the record and that is where he learned about album liner notes and became fascinated!
#3 He has a huge library of vinyl records that he organizes mostly by genre and then year. He also separates the studio albums from the compilation albums, which is a genius concept to me because I’m not a huge fan of compilation albums unless they are absolutely necessary!
#4 Quest’s favorite section in his many shelves of vinyl is the area strictly dedicated to hip hop samples. These shelves contain original albums with songs that were used in popular samples. This a major DJ hack that makes it easier to find cool samples for impressive sets!
#5 His sister Donn Thompson (@dtonevic on IG) is his vinyl record librarian, who is also a singer-songwriter. She is featured in the YouTube video below discussing his ever-growing collection!
#6 His collection is stacked with 12-inch hip-hop records, especially from the late 1970s to early 2000s. Have you ever bought a record because you liked the sample it came from? I definitely have!
#7 Unlike most audiophiles, Quest actually thinks reissues are cool! This appreciation started after a tour bus accident that ruined a $300 Eugene McDaniels record he was proud to have in his collection due to it being a rare grail. He shortly realized that reissues come in handy when you want to preserve your originals for as long as you can!
#8 According to Okayplayer, Quest shared in an interview that the album Person to Person by Average White Band was number 1 in his top 10 vinyl records of all time. He stated that the album is so influential to him that he still practices with it til this day.
#9 Quest once auctioned some of his records in 2023 and donated the proceeds to two food education non-profit organizations. Some of the records he put up for bid included James Brown’s Hot Pants and Ohio Players’ Ecstasy.
#10 Quest doesn’t just collect vinyl, he’s also contributed to over 30 albums on vinyl! Some of the albums include ones from his band The Roots, such as Illadeph Halflife, and his work as a contributing Soulquarian on albums like D’Angelo’s Voodoo, Common’s Like Water for Chocolate, and Slum Village’s Fantastic, vol. 2.
From rare gems to personal family history, Quest’s record collection tells a story of deep musical knowledge and passion. The same goes for many of us record collectors in our own, unique ways! Hope you all enjoyed this special celebrity edition of the Vinyl Collector of the Month series! Be sure to check out our instagram for more on these amazing collectors!
