One of the problems as we grow older is that the things that we own grow older, too. The longer that we keep something, it becomes more challenging to find replacement parts.

I was recently confronted with finding parts after adding a used record album to my small collection. The new entry was “Projections” by the Blues Project, a 1960’s group with two members who later helped to form the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat and Tears. There were no scratches visible, but when I played it on my turntable, it sounded like that it had once been a sandbox toy. I then tested a record of known quality, and it also sounded coarse. Hmmm… time for a new needle.

In the past, I would have headed to Circuit City, where I bought the turntable back in 1984. Well, as we grow older, there’s another thing we discover – stores where we used to shop are sometimes no longer there. Circuit City is a memory now. That’s true of another local establishment where I could have found my record needle: Capitol Audio-Visuals, long a destination for Chattanooga area audiophiles and videophiles.

Capitol Audio-Visuals was a dream business for Bridgeport, Alabama native James (“Jimmy”) C. Upton. The advice to start such an enterprise came from his teacher at Central High School, according to the October 30, 1977 Chattanooga News-Free Press. “I was always interested in films and projection equipment as a youngster,” Mr. Upton told the interviewer. In high school, he was part of the stage crew, and became head projectionist. “I spent more time in the projection room that year than I did in the classroom,” Mr. Upton admitted.

After a brief post-graduation stint with a film production company, Jimmy Upton followed his teacher’s advice to become an entrepreneur. In October, 1952 he opened Capitol Visual Aides at 1117 Dodds Avenue. The city directory listed the store as having audio-visual equipment, a film rental library, and hi-fi systems.

I’ll digress to comment on hi-fi systems. I’m sure that several readers remember that term, which was short for high-fidelity. Growing up, we had an RCA hi-fi that was based in a red faux mahogany cabinet. It was wired to a speaker based in a similarly styled cabinet, half the size of the base unit. Ours was placed downstairs in the den, via a long speaker wire threaded through the floor and down the wall. It worked out well unless one wanted to hear something different than was playing upstairs. I sometimes heard Christmas albums so much that I wanted to fold up the aluminum tree early.

Capitol Audio-Visuals grew by offering personalized service to customers. The store moved in 1957 to larger quarters at 611 Dodds Avenue, and by 1969, was listed at 3635 Brainerd Road. The store was expanded by two thousand square feet in 1973. The Chattanooga Times reported on November 30, 1975 of the opening of a second Capitol Audio-Visuals on Access Road across from Dupont Elementary School.

Capitol kept pace with changes in audio and video technology, from 78 RPM to 45 RPM to 33 RPM records, and from reel-to-reel to 8-track to cassette tapes. The firm also continued to expand its rental library. I recall that many of our films at school and church had “Capitol Audio-Visuals” on the container.

By the 1980’s, most of the large retail department stores included a home entertainment section. In 1984, Capitol Audio-Visuals filed for reorganization under bankruptcy protection laws. Long Electronics, a Birmingham-based electronics retailer, moved into the former Brainerd location of Capitol. However, within just a few years, Long announced that it was closing all of its stores, according to the January 22, 1987 Chattanooga Times.

OK, so where am I going to find a record needle? Well, I’ve located a few possibilities through Internet retailers. After I supplied the brand name and model number, one promptly replied with a suggested replacement. Assuming this works out, I’ll be able to hear very clearly what two of the Blood, Sweat and Tears members (Al Kooper and Steve Katz) sounded like before they got into jazz-rock.

If you have memories of Capitol Audio-Visuals, or have stories of how you overcame the challenges of keeping old audio/video technology working, please send me an e-mail at jolleyh@bellsouth.net.

The Blues Project will soon be heard clearly through a new needle on this Technics turntable. I have already heard them on YouTube.
- Photo2 by Harmon Jolley