From California to Cass

Before there was a mystery, there was a move across the country, an unexpected opportunity, and a passion for preserving history.

In the premiere episode, audio archivist Derrick shares the journey that led him from a career in technology to volunteering with Detroit Sound Conservancy, where he began restoring and digitizing aging reel-to-reel tapes from the archive of legendary recording engineer Dr. Ed Wolfrum.

What started as a way to connect with Detroit locals and become more aclimated to the area, soon became something much more. During what should have been a routine preservation project, one anonymous recording stood apart from everything else—a professionally recorded song that no one could identify.

This episode introduces the people, the place, and the preservation work that made the discovery possible, setting the stage for an investigation that would unfold over the years that followed.