Jeff and Linda Livingston own Tin Dogs Records, a record store in Beloit. After a heart and kidney transplant, and a stroke, Jeff now runs the record store after a career as an attorney.
Records are displayed at Tin Dog Records, a record store in Beloit owned by Jeff Livingston. After a career as an attorney, Livingston's life is now surrounded by music after a heart and kidney transplant, and a stroke.
Tin Dig Records is located at 312 State St. Suite B in Beloit. The record store is open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jeff and Linda Livingston own Tin Dogs Records, a record store in Beloit. After a heart and kidney transplant, and a stroke, Jeff now runs the record store after a career as an attorney.
Zack Goodrow/Adams Publishing Group
BELOIT -- After surviving heart and kidney transplants, and a stroke, Jeff Livingston is living a peaceful life as owner of Tin Dog Records, a vintage-record shop. The overhead music, decorations, album range and Livingston's enthusiasm keeps customers in the quaint store, but Livingston stays for the happiness the store brings him.
Tin Dig Records is located at 312 State St. Suite B in Beloit. The record store is open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Zack Goodrow/Adams Publishing Group.
"I come here, I play albums all day and figure out what they're worth, Livingston said. "People come in for two hours and they'll just look at (things). We'll talk about it and it's a lot of fun."
The former attorney attended the University of Wisconsin Law School from 1982-89. After moving to Chicago and struggling to find work, Livingston found a gig in Beloit and has been there ever since.
He's almost done it all in the court -- from being a defender to writing wills -- but it's not something he misses today.
"Not at all," Livingston said. "I have some friends that are lawyers and there's only a few that I still hang out with. The lawyers are cool. They're smart and they're interesting. But arguing about money and stuff like that, I'm glad I don't do that."
His first major health scare surfaced in 2012. Livingston passed out at a Wisconsin Badgers basketball game and was quickly rushed to the hospital. He had a c-diff infection, but an existing murmur in Livingston's heart was a concern for doctors.
A valve in his heart needed to be replaced or it would lead to an aneurysm and "widow-maker" heart attack.
Jeff Livingston holds Adele's album "21" at his record store Tin Dog Records in Beloit.
Zack Goodrow/Adams Publishing Group.
Eight years after the valve was replaced, Livingston's tooth was infected. His body was fighting that infection, but it spread and reached the metal part of his heart.
"By the time we figured that out, the heart was bad," Livingston said. "It's bad, we've got to get rid of it. It was like 'Oh, s---.'"
In 2021, Livingston was the first of two people -- the other died -- that had their hearts removed and functions replaced by a portable machine at the University Hospital in Madison. He was in the hospital for 135 days and during the first three months of his stay, he was kept alive by the machine without a heart.
Records are displayed at Tin Dog Records, a record store in Beloit owned by Jeff Livingston. After a career as an attorney, Livingston's life is now surrounded by music after a heart and kidney transplant, and a stroke.
Zack Goodrow/Adams Publishing Group
He kept building his strength during the time period and when a heart and new kidney were available for a transplant, Livingston underwent surgery.
Unfortunately, Livingston had a stroke during his surgery which came to light one week later.
"I couldn't talk because I was intubated," Livingston said. "Then a week later, they said, 'Okay, talk.' When I talked, they said, 'Oh, you had a stroke, next time we should look for that.'"
Despite the stroke, it took just two weeks after the surgery for Livingston to finally be discharged.
Albums are displayed on the wall at Tin Dog Records, a record store at 312 State St. Suite B in Beloit.
Zack Goodrow/Adams Publishing Group
After all the traumatic-medical issues and procedures, Livingston now runs Tin Dog Records and is surrounded by the music he loves. He spends his days talking to customers about classic records and albums and also learns about new ones.
"People come in and tell me about albums that I didn't know of," Livingston said. "When I was a lawyer, people would come and talk about what's your issue and I tell you what's going to happen with this. But people who come in, they don't think of albums that I know, so I learned from them. That's interesting because that's better actually."
Livingston has his fair share of young customers as well and enjoys Beyonce, Olivia Rodrigo, Adele and Taylor Swift.
"In the 70s everybody had albums and then in the 90s everybody had CDs and nobody liked albums," Livingston said. "Now the young people come here and the new albums are really expensive, so I can't open them and play them. But once in a while, someone comes back and I'll play (the album). It's like "Wow, that's really good.' So the kids really like good music."
His favorite era of music however is the 70s. The music lover saw the Grateful Dead 30 times before Jerry Garcia died. He's also a fan of reggae, Bob Marley and the Rolling stones.
Livingston has even met Willie Nelson a few times through his cousin, one of the artist's friends. Nelson even sent Livingston a message when he was in the hospital.
"He was playing Madison and I was going to go to that show but I went to the hospital," Livingston said. "He was playing for an hour and a half and then went to his bus and he sent something for me. Then he went back to play."
Tin Dig Records is located at 312 State St. Suite B in Beloit. The record store is open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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