Reports: Secret Revealed That 2008 Universal Studios Fire Destroyed Classic Masters

Masters Disaster

A NEW YORK TIMES investigation of a fire that engulfed the backlot of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD at 4:43a on SUNDAY, JUNE 1st, 2008, not only destroyed the KING KONG attraction and a "video vault that contained only copies of old works," as the company claimed, but up to a half-million masters and original recordings of many of music's greatest legends, as well as scores of more recent works.

Building 6197 served as UMG’s main West Coast storehouse of masters, and it included original work of essentially the history of great musical legends: LOUIS ARMSTRONG, DUKE ELLINGTON, AL JOLSON, BING CROSBY, ELLA FITZGERALD, JUDY GARLAND, BILLIE HOLIDAY, PATSY CLINE, CHUCK BERRY, MUDDY WATERS, HOWLIN’ WOLF, WILLIE DIXON, BO DIDDLEY, ETTA JAMES, JOHN LEE HOOKER, BUDDY GUY, LITTLE WALTER and the first commercially released material by ARETHA FRANKLIN, recorded when she was a young teenager performing in the church services of her father, the REV. C.L. FRANKLIN.

Also gone: all of BUDDY HOLLY’s masters and work by DUKE ELLINGTON, COUNT BASIE, COLEMAN HAWKINS, DIZZY GILLESPIE, MAX ROACH, ART BLAKEY, SONNY ROLLINS, CHARLES MINGUS and ORNETTE COLEMAN. 

Moving from the past to the present, other lost recording include BENNY GOODMAN, CAB CALLOWAY, THE ANDREWS SISTERS, THE INK SPOTS, THE MILLS BROTHERS, LIONEL HAMPTON, RAY CHARLES, SISTER ROSETTA THARPE, CLARA WARD, SAMMY DAVIS JR., LES PAUL, FATS DOMINO, BIG MAMA THORNTON, BURL IVES, THE WEAVERS, KITTY WELLS, ERNEST TUBB, LEFTY FRIZZELL, LORETTA LYNN, GEORGE JONES, MERLE HAGGARD, BOBBY (BLUE) BLAND, B.B. KING, IKE TURNER, THE FOUR TOPS, QUINCY JONES, BURT BACHARACH, JOAN BAEZ, NEIL DIAMOND, SONNY AND CHER, THE MAMAS AND THE PAPAS, JONI MITCHELL, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, CAT STEVENS, THE CARPENTERS, GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS, AL GREEN, THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS, ELTON JOHN, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, ERIC CLAPTON, JIMMY BUFFETT, THE EAGLES, DON HENLEY, AEROSMITH, STEELY DAN, IGGY POP, RUFUS AND CHAKA KHAN, BARRY WHITE, PATTI LABELLE, YOKO ONO, TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, THE POLICE, STING, GEORGE STRAIT, STEVE EARLE, R.E.M., JANET JACKSON, ERIC B. AND RAKIM, NEW EDITION, BOBBY BROWN, GUNS N’ ROSES, QUEEN LATIFAH, MARY J. BLIGE, SONIC YOUTH, NO DOUBT, NINE INCH NAILS, SNOOP DOGG, NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN, HOLE, BECK, SHERYL CROW, TUPAC SHAKUR, 50 CENT and THE ROOTS.

STEREOGUM reports that, apparently, several of the artists were unaware of the loss, judging by their responses on TWITTER.

PITCHFORK reports that UMG released a statement declaring that the whole issue has been mis-reported. “While there are constraints preventing us from publicly addressing some of the details,” the incident “never affected the availability of the commercially released music nor impacted artists’ compensation” adding that The Times’ story “contains numerous inaccuracies, misleading statements, contradictions and fundamental misunderstandings of the scope of the incident and affected assets.”

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