RECORD STORE TALES Part 240:
Lemon Kurri Klopek – Living the Dream! (On the road with Steve Earle)
I immediately liked Lemon Kurri upon meeting him. I was introduced to LK (who also goes by the excellent real name of Mike) as our newest franchise owner and fellow Kiss fan. I spent a lot of hours training him, and he was one of the best people I met through the record store. He was easy to work with, and genuinely appreciated my help. One thing I will always remember, is that Lemon Kurri and his business partner Greg sent me notes of thanks for my help, and even cool records or CDs that I wanted. It was Lemon Kurri who gave to me a treasured copy of Bruce Dickinson’s 12″ single for “All the Young Dudes”. He also gave me Thin Lizzy’s “Gary Moore album”, Black Rose: A Rock Legend for my birthday one year.
When I eventually left the company, Lemon Kurri was supportive of my decision. We stayed in touch and remained friends. Two years later, LK himself moved on to new horizons. I’m pleased to report that he is now living the dream, working for one of my own idols, Mr. Steve Earle himself. Lemon Kurri is Steve’s “Merch Guy” and “unofficial drum tech” today. He travels the world, and gets to hear one of the true greats playing at night. Hard work but somebody has to do it.
Lemon Kurri has given me permission to share with you a selection of snaps of his life on the road with Steve Earle. Enjoy. Each picture tells a story! Click a pic to enlarge and read the description. Thanks letting me use these photos, Mike!
mikeladano.com 