Kim Bloxdorf
President
Kim cannot remember a time when Record Research was not a part of her life and considers it her much-beloved sibling. Her dad, Joel Whitburn, began researching the Billboard “Hot 100” chart from his desk at night next to her crib. His part-time hobby became full-time work when Kim was five and her childhood was filled with record-hunting trips, sorting records, filing customer orders, and so on. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Kim joined the Record Research staff as researcher and editor, and in development and production of the Billboard “Top Hits” music series with Rhino Records. As a “jack of all trades and master of none,” she does whatever needs doing, from admin to e-commerce. Kim loves time outdoors in beautiful Wisconsin with her husband, Dave, and feels beyond blessed when they hang out with their grown kids and grandsons.
Snaps from the Record Research album
55 YEARS!
That’s a very long time in the life of a small business! As our founder, Joel Whitburn, believed, the existence of Record Research is truly an American story: how someone with very limited means but with a whole lot of passion could create something new, find others who had a heart for the charts and share his work with them.
The handful of photos above show portions of our team through the years. The following people have made up the roster of Record Researchers since 1970 (in order of debut, of course): Tom T., Bill K., Tim, Bill H., Brent, Kim B., Dave, Melody, Doug, Judy, Johnny, Lisa, Lori, Kim K., Oscar, Jason, Joanne, Brian, Krista, Stacy, Joyce, Janet, Troy, Jeanne, Paul, Kay, Bob, Ann, Tony, Nestor, Susette, Dan, Samantha, Mason, Tom K., and Nate, plus other family and friends who stepped in when needed. Honorable mention goes to the cross-word loving, detailed parents of Joel Whitburn, Russell and Ruth, who assisted their son as the very first Record Researchers. And, Joel’s most valuable team member was Frances, his wife and Kim’s mom who was beloved by all.
Paul Haney
Head Researcher/Editor
A native of Minnesota, Paul’s love affair with music and the charts began at the tender age of eight. In 1974, he started listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 radio show. Soon he was keeping his own chart statistics, a weekly ritual that lasted well into his college years and planted the seeds for his future career path. In the summer of 1980, at the age of 14, he started riding the bus to the downtown Minneapolis Public Library where he discovered several Record Research books. In 1983 he purchased the very first edition of The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits and by 1987 he purchased his first Top Pop Singles volume. During the next few years, Paul would continue to add to his Record Research collection and periodically send in edits to Record Research. After graduating from college in 1988, he went to work as a morning DJ and high school sports announcer at KDWA radio in Hastings, Minnesota. In late 1991, the station was sold and Paul once again wrote to Record Research, this time looking for work. The company was looking to hire and soon he landed his “dream job” of working on the books that he so enjoyed reading. What Paul loves best in his job is researching and editing new book projects. He also enjoys collecting vintage sports cards and adding to his personal library of vintage TV shows and movies on DVD and Blu-ray.
