Dante Carfagna has spent decades amassing a collection of soul records from Illinois, meticulously organized in his third-floor apartment.
His extensive collection comprises 45 rpm singles stored in white boxes, showcasing his dedication to the genre.
As a “de facto silent partner” in the esteemed Numero Group, Carfagna has played a vital role in reissuing obscure soul and funk music, bringing to light artists who would have otherwise faded into obscurity.
He recalls, “For the first 10 or 15 years of [Numero’s] existence, 75% of their content came from here.”
However, a turning point occurred approximately six or seven years ago when Carfagna faced a unique dilemma: he began to exhaust his collection possibilities.
Alongside his focused passion for vinyl records, he had also compiled a comprehensive database of soul labels, artists, and releases, bolstered by years of interviews and research.
When this data collection started to dwindle, Carfagna realized it was time to solidify his findings into a formal publication.
This led to the creation of
image source from：https://www.wbez.org/music/2025/04/18/soul-music-illinois-book-numero-group
