Members of the music industry, especially local fans and artists, are mourning the loss of VIP Records founder Cletus Anderson — a visionary who helped shape the West Coast music scene and created the chain of shops that became a breeding ground for Long Beach’s musical talent.
On Sunday, Jan. 28, surrounded by his children, his wife, family, and friends in his home in Mississippi, Cletus Anderson lost his battle with gallbladder cancer, passing away peacefully in his sleep at 82.
Anderson opened the first VIP Records in 1967. In 1978, he opened the Long Beach location on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
He eventually sold that location to his brother, Kelvin Anderson Sr. By the 1990s, and with continued influence from Cletus Anderson, VIP Records became a haven for young people who wanted to escape the violence in the neighborhood by focusing on their musical talent.
With a studio in the back of the record store and a strong presence in the community, VIP Records became the birthplace of the G-Funk era, propelling artists like Warren G, Nate Dogg, and Snoop Dogg to the national stage.