Montgomery County’s Joe’s Record Paradise founder, Joe lee, dies at 76

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) — Music lovers throughout the DMV are mourning the passing of Maryland native and record shop owner, Joe Lee, who operated the Montgomery County based Joe’s Record Paradise for several decades.

Joe Lee was 76 and died on July 4th after a battle with throat cancer.

“He helped foster the idea of local musicians and places. He used to book clubs, so he would get to choose who would come and play at the club and that’s a pretty powerful position,” said Joe Lee’s son, Johnson Lee.

Johnson Lee, who was named after blues musician, Robert Johnson, said his father was an avid music lover with a great sense of humor who always wanted to bring joy to people.

“[He was all about] having a good time, whatever that meant,” Johnson Lee said. “If things got boring, he would pull some pranks on people.”

Johnson Lee told DC News Now his father was influential in shaping the interests of many musicians throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area.

One of his closest friends and fans, Zev Feldman, described Joe Lee as a “powerhouse” always wanting to help others.

“He lent his voice in an unbelievably generous way and he was a gregarious guy. He was someone larger than life,” said Feldman, a grammy-nominated producer who worked closely with Joe Lee.

According to Johnson Lee, his father opened his award wining shop with the goal of inspiring others under the premise of making sure that everyone felt comfortable to be their true authentic self. He said his father managed live groups and held benefit concerts for those in need.

“If someone seemed as if they were great and they seemed like they deserve some attention, he would use his connections to get them the attention that they deserved,” said Johnson Lee.

Decades later, Joe Record’s Paradise still lives with thousands of records featuring a wide range of genres including pop, R&B and Bachata. The store will continue to operate under Johnson Lee in Downtown Silver Spring with the goal of preserving Joe Lee’s musical legacy, his son shared.

“We’ve got hundreds of hours of just great artists – top name artists – and we just need to start putting that stuff out,” said Johnson Lee.

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