His vinyl might be gone, but his passion remains.
Scott Dudelson stood on Pacific Coast Highway and watched flames consume not only his home, but his life’s work.
Passionate about music, he collected 8,000 vinyl records over 25 years. Unfortunately, he only managed to save 450 albums from the Palisades fire on January 7.
Now, heâs looking to rebuild.
How He Survived the Fire
Dudelson first noticed something was wrong when he stepped outside that morning.
“I walked outside and I smelled the fire,” he told LA Times.
“10 minutes later, I saw the smoke rising over my hills, right over my community. I knew this was really, really bad.”
At first, he thought about staying to protect his home. His confidence came from surviving the 2018 Woolsey fire and the 2024 Franklin Fire, which only caused minor damage to Dudelson’s house. But this time was different.
The Palisades fire moved faster and burned hotter. It spread quickly and destroyed nearly 6,800 buildings.
The Rescued Treasures and Irreplaceable Losses
When it became clear they had to leave, Dudelson’s ex-wife helped him save what they could. They grabbed six boxes holding about 450 records.
These included some personal favorites like Neil Young’s Everybody Knows This is Nowhere and On the Beach. They also saved some valuable pieces worth thousands each.
But the losses were massive.
Among the lost treasures was a rare Beatles album – the “butcher cover” version of Yesterday and Today from 1966. Only 750,000 copies existed before the band recalled them.
He also lost a 1956 Jutta Hipp record called At The Hickory House Volume 1, worth almost $2,000 today.
Vinyl Community Rallies Behind Loss
The response to Dudelson’s loss has touched his heart. His Instagram account @alldayvinyl has 55,000 followers, and both fans and labels rushed to help.
After many asked how to contribute, Dudelson set up a way to receive vinyl donations. Records can be sent to: Scott Dudelson, 4774 Park Granada #8908, Calabasas, California 91372.
While he hasn’t started a GoFundMe, he encourages people to donate to MusiCares. Or, there are many other ways to help those affected by the Los Angeles fires.
Dudelson lost around 500 records in the Woolsey fire.
Three weeks before the Palisades fire, 1,000 records were smoke-damaged at a house he was building after the Franklin Fire.
Now, the majority of his collection is gone.
Yet Dudelson stays positive about his love for vinyl.
With the support of the vinyl community and a focus on gratitude, heâs choosing to rebuild.
Scott, I can only imagine how you feel. I sold 3000 of my US vinyls that I had since I was 15 I guess. Iâm 60 years old now. Anyway, after I sold all of my US vinyls, I decided to make my own personal collection, so I started buying Japanese vinyls, some very rare ones. Trying to relive my younger years, but anyway what Iâm trying to say is, I feel for you.âŽď¸