Abigail Devoe of 'Vinyl Monday': The Baby Boomers' Favorite Gen Z Influencer

How a 25-year-old '60s music fan became a cross-generation Internet star

BURLINGTON, VT, UNITED STATES, November 19, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- There are a lot of young female “influencers” on social media. But how many can grab – and hold – the attention of the Woodstock generation, too?

That’s just one of many ways in which Abigail Devoe is unique. The 25-year-old host of YouTube's "Vinyl Monday," co-host of the "Unveiling The Legends: Dolls of the '60s and '70s" podcast, and creator of the Real Life Layla website not only has devoted fans her own age, but a fast-growing following of Boomers. For those who bought Beatles albums upon release, she’s the witty, intelligent and endearing young woman who loves the music of the 1960s and ’70s as much as they do. She seeks behind-the-scenes information even the oldheads don’t know about the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Doors and other rock legends. For fans her own age, she places the albums she covers in direct conversation with the music and culture of today.

“Vinyl Monday” is known for Abby's deep-dive research, insightful writing, polished editing, sourcing of rare images, zany humor and extra touches that are reinventing YouTube’s vinyl community; like editing eye-catching thumbnails that place her into iconic album covers. The former art student started out making vintage fashion content on Instagram. There, she’s refined her ability to match her hair, makeup, and wardrobe to each week’s album.

How did someone so young become the Internet’s favorite expert on 60-year-old music? Abby explains, “This long, strange trip began when I heard a man in town was selling his record collection. I agreed to take his 150 albums on the condition that there was the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel. Well, there was no Beatles or Simon & Garfunkel! And the 150 albums turned out to be 300. I was still in college and couldn’t afford to take them all."

"Maybe he was charmed by someone so young being interested in this music, because he gave his collection to me. He’s now a patron saint of what would become ‘Vinyl Monday.’ I had to borrow my dad's truck to get them all home!"

“I decided the best way to learn was to listen, so I played an album every day for almost a year. I discovered this amazing world of music. I discovered Bob Dylan’s ‘Blonde on Blonde.’ The MC5 became my all-time favorite group. But my favorite album, the one that showed me a whole different way of expressing through music, was ‘Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs’ by Derek and the Dominos” (a.k.a. Eric Clapton and Duane Allman, with George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” band.) “Vinyl Monday's" third season finale was a 90-minute exploration of “Layla,” both the music and the heart-wrenching backstory. It’s the stuff of Hollywood movies: Clapton wailing of his unrequited love for best friend George Harrison’s then-wife Pattie Boyd. Abby communicates every note of drama in the story and music, and how it sparked her own passion for music.

“There is life before ‘Layla,’ and life after ‘Layla,’" she says. "It’s the catalyst for everything you see here.”

Pattie Boyd is another icon for Abby. She recently partnered with German-based fashion content creator Emma Rosa Katharina for “Unveiling The Legends: Dolls of the '60s and '70s;” a bi-weekly audio podcast about iconic women of the time; from Ronnie Spector to Sharon Tate. A new episode is posted every other Friday on all major streaming platforms.

Abby spent her break before season 4 of “Vinyl Monday” relaunching her website, RealLifeLayla.com. It now includes her YouTube album reviews in text form, along with book reviews and earlier writings on music and pop culture. She’s become an in-demand guest on music podcasts, and even produces a weekly “Vinyl Monday In 60 Seconds” for her Instagram and TikTok pages. With her seemingly impossible work schedule and fans flooding her comments sections with requests, she’s always planning ahead. What can fans look forward to next?

“I’ve promised that when ‘Vinyl Monday’ hits its next subscriber goal, I’ll cover the inimitable Captain Beefheart’s ‘Trout Mask Replica.’ Send help, I’ll need it!” That’s how you know she’s genuinely excited – she cracks a joke about it.

Charles Reeder
Vinyl Monday
abigaildevoe.ig@gmail.com
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