My first record: Jessi Whitten

In the days leading up to this year's Record Store Day on April 19, the OpenAir hosts will share the story of their first-ever record purchases, however memorable or misguided they may have been. Next up is afternoon host and music director Jessi Whitten.  

We want to know what your first record was, too! Be sure to enter the Record Store Day contest on our Facebook page by telling us your first ever record purchase (vinyl, CD, digital or whatever), and you could win a brand new record player and a collection of vinyl records.

Cyndi Lauper was barefoot with hips in full twist as her dress flared up. It was the first time I remembered being particularly excited to have been born a woman because it meant I could grow up to look like that.

It would be years before I owned my first turntable and was actually able to listen to the full record, or even take the time to read through the tracklist. As a superficial fan of her work at that point, I was well familiar with “Time After Time” (memorized from many times of watching "Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion") and “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” but I found a new cache of forever favorites in listening from the top of side A to the tail of side B. “Money Changes Everything,” “All Through the Night,” and “When You Were Mine” are the most worn grooves on the record.

Click here for all the OpenAir "My First Record" stories