Robert Edward Plotnik (August 28, 1943 – November 29, 2018), also known as Bleecker Bob, was the owner of an eponymous

record shop A record shop or record store is a retail outlet that sells recorded music. In the late 19th century and the early 20th century, record shops only sold gramophone records, but over the 20th century, record shops sold the new formats that were ...

first located on

Bleecker Street Bleecker Street is an east–west street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which ...

in Manhattan, New York. He became a legend in the music industry and his store was a landmark in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

, known for its selection of rare records. Often viewed as eccentric, he formed friendships with many celebrities. Members from bands like Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, David Bowie and the Clash would frequent his shop looking for old records. Plotnik was noted for recognizing changes in music, and his store was at the forefront of emerging rock genres, such as punk rock, where he offered hard-to-find British and American records.

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

of the punk rock band the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, said, "Bleecker Bob's has everything.""Joey Ramone Rare Rock Records"
''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'', April 18, 1994, page 84. This often required him to import records from overseas that were not available in the United States. Many rock stars were patrons of his shop, and Plotnik would often jeer them while in his store. Guitarist

Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group. Early life Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper M ...

met

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

while he was working for Plotnik at Village Oldies. The wisecracking Plotnik and his shop were featured on a 1993 episode of ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'', titled " The Old Man".

Bleecker Bob's Golden Oldies

Plotnik opened Village Oldies with his partner Al Trommers in September 1967 at 149 Bleecker Street. Shortly afterwards, Trommers gave Plotnik the nickname "Bleecker Bob". In the 1970s, the shop moved to

MacDougal Street MacDougal Street is a one-way street in the Greenwich Village and SoHo neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. The street is bounded on the south by Prince Street and on the north by 8th Street (Manhattan), West 8th Street; its numbering be ...

, just below 8th Street. Village Oldies specialized in vintage rhythm and blues records. In 1981, Plotnik moved it to 118 West Third Street. The shop closed on April 13, 2013. He also franchised a store on

Melrose Avenue Melrose Avenue is a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard, at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. It ends at Lucile Avenue in Silver Lake. Melrose runs north of Bev ...

in Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Plotnik attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

and graduated from

Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test taker ...

in 1969. He became a registered attorney in New York State in 1969.

Death

Plotnik died of complications from a stroke he had suffered in 2001 on November 29, 2018. He is buried at

Beth David Cemetery Beth David Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 300 Elmont Road in Elmont, New York. The cemetery was established in 1917. As of 2012, there were approximately 245,000 burials in the cemetery. Notable interments *Sam Ash (1897–1956), violini ...

in Elmont, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plotnik Robert 1943 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American lawyers Businesspeople from New York City Lawyers from New York City Culture of Manhattan Businesspeople from Baltimore Fordham University School of Law alumni New York University alumni