among Kansas farmers, surpris- ingly. Sears used to sell them as “American-made” to help boost sales. He said he could find a beaten-down scooter in the middle of nowhere, USA, for about $200, and then essentially flip it for a great profit. He now has just a handful of scooters, and yes, he rides every single one of them. “None of my scooters are too sacred to ride,” Johnny said. “Be- cause where’s the fun in that?” Back into the house, through the 1950s-inspired light-blue kitchen and up the stairs, past the hand-painted black and white forest Marissa created on the hallway wall, and to the left resides yet another one of Johnny’s past times—his record
collection. He owns thousands upon thousands of records and record labels. He says he has roughly 10,000 45s and about 4,000 LPs. Johnny owns the Teenage Heart Stateside Distro record company and with it he’s trying to introduce the Jamaican jazz sound to Kansas City. He says it’s so much more than Bob Marley like people usually think. He produces the catchy music and works as a DJ to promote his sound. He thanks his late father for turning him onto the sweet
24 vintagekc summer 2015
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