List of record collectors explained

This article lists the owners of the largest private music collections, some of which have been donated to public institutions for their study and preservation. As of 2017, the largest record collection with over 6 million items belongs to Zero Freitas.

Over 1 million items

• Zero Freitas (born 1950s): over 6 million items (Emporium Musical).^{[1] [2]}
• Paul Mawhinney (born 1939): 3 million items (Record-Rama), sold to Freitas in 2013.
• Bob George (born 1949): 2.2 million items, donated to the ARChive of Contemporary Music in partnership with Columbia University.
• Anonymous Brazilian collector: 1 million items, sold to Freitas.

Over 100,000 items

• Julián Ruiz (born 1950): 623,202 items, mostly vinyl LPs and singles.^[3]
• Phil Swern (born 1948): at least 200,000 vinyl singles, 80,000 vinyl albums, and 300,000 CDs. Swern notes that he may have between six and seven million titles in total, but no definitive count has been made.^[4]
• Bob Altshuler (1923–2007):^[5] 250,000 items, donated to the Library of Congress, largest private collection of jazz and blues.^{[6] [7]}
• Keith Skues (born 1939): 250,000 items, mostly vinyl records kept at his home.^[8]
• Larry Woodlee: 250,000 items, primarily vinyl records, of which 50,000 were sold to McKay's, a second-hand shop in Nashville.^{[9] [10]}
• Armand Panigel (1920–1995): over 200,000 items of classical music, hosted at Studios La Fabrique.^{[11] [12]}
• Cristóbal Díaz Ayala (born 1930): 150,000 items (Diaz Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular Music Collection), donated to the Florida International University, largest collection of Cuban and Latin American music.^[13]
• Joel Whitburn (1939-2022): 150,000 items, specialized in Billboard-charting singles and albums.^[14]
• Paul 'Trouble' Anderson (1959–2018): 150,000 items.^[15]
• Carl Cox (born 1962): 150,000 items.^[16]
• Mike Read (born 1947): 120,000 items, auctioned in 2009.^[17]
• Robert Roberge (1921–2004): over 100,000 items (Mooncurser Records), sold two years after his death.^{[18] [19]}
• Greg Shaw (1949–2004): over 100,000 items.^[20]
• John Peel (1939–2004): over 100,000 items.^{[21] [22]}
• Doug Smith (born 1958): over 100,000 items, including 45s, 78s, LPs, wax cylinders, etc.^[23]
• DJ Doveboy: over 135,000 items, including 45s, LPs, 78s and CD singles.^[24]

Over 50,000 items

• Dr. Demento (born 1941): 85,000 items.^[25]
• Dr. Dre (born 1965): 80,000 items, sold.^[26]
• Carlos Martín Ballester (born 1974): 75,000 78 rpm records (carlosmb archive) plus 5,000 78 rpms records and 200 cylinders (private collection).^[27] It is the largest collection of 78 rpm records pressed in Spain. Part of the archive is on sale and new items are added regularly.^[28]
• Elton John (born 1947): 70,000 items.^[29] He accumulated a large vinyl record collection, including the purchase of BBC producer Bernie Andrews' personal collection of every 45 rpm pop record released in Britain from 1964 to 1975.^[30] In the documentary All Things Must Pass (2015), John described making frequent forays into Tower Records trailed by assistants, buying multiple copies of any album that struck his eye, so that he could have the same collection at each of his residences.^[31] He sold the collection in 1993 to raise money for AIDS charity.^[32]
• Daniele Baldelli (born 1952): 65,000 items.^[33]
• Ray Avery (1920–2002): over 63,000 items (Ray Avery Collection), specialized in jazz, donated to the University of California, Los Angeles in 1987.^[34]
• DJ Shadow (born 1972): over 60,000 records.^[35]
• Alex Paterson (born 1959): 60,000 items.^[36]
• Alejandra Fierro Eleta (born c. 1959): over 50,000 items (Gladys Palmera Collection), largest private archive of Latin music.^{[37] [38]} As of 2019, she claimed to have 55,000 vinyl records and 45,000 CDs;^[39] or 60,000 vinyl records and 35,000 CDs.^[40]

Over 10,000 items

• Chris Strachwitz (born 1931): over 44,000 items, comprising 125,000 recordings digitized by Arhoolie Records as part of the Strachwitz Frontera Collection, the largest archive of Mexican and Mexican-American music.^{[41] [42]}
• Stephen & David Dewaele (best-known as members of the bands 2ManyDJs and Soulwax): over 40.000 records. As sons of radio and TV host Zaki, the Dewaele Brothers grew up among vinyl records and started collecting them themselves.^{[43] [44] [45]} On 26 March 2014, students of the PXL university digitalized 5.000 of the more than 40.000 vinyl records owned by the Dewaele Brothers. As a gift back, the brothers played a set at a student afterparty. ^{[46] [47]}
• David Freeman (born 1939): over 40,000 items, specialized in early country music.^[48]
• Ian Dewhirst (born 1955): 38,000 items.^[49]
• Vincent Gallo (born 1961): over 35,000 items.^[50]
• Bob Harris (born 1946): 35,000 items.^[51]
• Byron Coley (born 1956): over 30,000 items.^[52]
• Don Tait (1941–2023): a 1991 article in the Chicago Tribune said he owned 30,000 78 RPM records of classical music, which he would play on his programs on WFMT.^[53] According to his obituary, the weight of his collection required him to reinforce the floor of his house.^[54]
• Augusto Arango Franco: over 30,000 items,^[55] which he plays in his bar La Música de Augusto in Medellín^[56] since 2001.^[57]
• Charles Delaunay (1911–1988): 30,000 items, formerly one of the largest private jazz collections.
• Gilles Peterson (born 1964): 30,000 items.^[58]
• Joe Bussard (born 1936): 25,000 items.^[59]
• John R. T. Davies (1927–2004): 20,000 items (John R. T. Davies Collection), specialized in jazz, donated to the University of York Sound Archives.^[60]
• Brian Rust (1922–2011): 10,000 items, primarily jazz.^[61]

Others

• Grandmaster Flash (born 1958): stores his collection in a dedicated building.^[62]
• Andy Kershaw (born 1959): collection weighed seven tons at one point.^[63]
• Tony Prince (born 1944): claimed to have biggest record collection in the world.^[64]
• Harry E. Smith (1923–1992): thousands, specialized in American folk music, tried to donate to Ash Records (later Folkways Records), instead partially released on Anthology of American Folk Music and other LPs.^[65]
• Robert Crumb (born 1943): over 8,000 78 rpm records, including many rarities from the 1920s and 1930s.^[66]

See also

• List of most valuable records

Notes and References

1. News: Watts. Jonathan. Record collector builds world's largest vinyl hoard – six million and counting. November 2, 2017. The Guardian. March 21, 2015.
2. [Monte Reel|Reel, Monte]
3. News: Nuevo . Mar . Un viaje por la historia de la música a través de 900 vinilos . 7 December 2022 . Economía Digital . 8 June 2022 . es.
4. Web site: Phil 'The Collector' Swern – "The Six Million Record Man…". 17 May 2017.
5. News: Robert Altshuler. November 2, 2017. New York Times. September 19, 2007.
6. Web site: Seibert. Fred. Bob Altshuler R.I.P.. Frederator. November 2, 2017. en. September 22, 2007.
7. Book: Balliett. Whitney. American Musicians II: Seventy-One Portraits in Jazz. 2005. University Press of Mississippi. Jackson, MS. 8. 9781578068340.
8. Web site: Keith Skues . BBC Radio Norfolk . 16 February 2020 . 2014.
9. News: Conzett . Lance . McKay's Acquires 50,000 Used LPs, Enters the Record Store Day Fray . 24 February 2021 . Nashville Scene . 6 April 2016 . en.
10. Web site: Nashville Man Trying to Sell 250,000 Vinyl Records . YouTube . Fox Nashville . 24 February 2021 . 28 February 2015.
11. Web site: Library. www.studioslafabrique.com. 2019-05-15.
12. Web site: In a room with Radiohead. Thorpe. Adam. 18 May 2016. The Times Literary Supplement. 19 May 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160521213231/http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/just-playing-in-a-room-with-friends/. 21 May 2016. dmy-all.
13. Web site: The Diaz-Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular Music Collection. Florida International University. November 2, 2017. October 19, 2012.
14. News: Romell. Rick. Joel Whitburn is No. 1 when it comes to pop music charts. November 2, 2017. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 7, 2014. en.
15. Web site: Fitzroy's Interview With Paul 'Trouble' Anderson . The Soul Survivors . 11 February 2019 . 2009.
16. Web site: Lea. Tom. Carl Cox has over 150,000 records ordered chronologically, and the last bloody thing he needs is more. Fact Magazine. November 2, 2017. March 13, 2014.
17. News: Bankrupt DJ Mike Read's music collection to be auctioned . https://web.archive.org/web/20190428050202/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/6667858/Bankrupt-DJ-Mike-Reads-music-collection-to-be-auctioned.html . 2019-04-28 . 12 May 2023 . . 26 November 2009.
18. Web site: Walker . Andrea K. . 78's Keep Owner, 76, Hopping . https://web.archive.org/web/20150527062356/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/16/nyregion/78-s-keep-owner-76-hopping.html . 2015-05-27 . . 12 May 2023 . 16 March 1997.
19. Web site: Kilgannon . Corey . A Legacy in Vinyl, Ever More Fragile . The New York Times . 8 June 2019 . 19 September 2004.
20. Book: Morse. Erik. Erik Morse. Spacemen 3 and the Birth of Spiritualized. 2004. Omnibus. London, UK. 227. 9780857121042.
21. News: John Peel's record collection to stay within family. February 11, 2019. NME. October 17, 2005.
22. News: Petridis. Alexis. John Peel's record collection: the first look. November 2, 2017. The Guardian. May 1, 2012.
23. Web site: Wundram . Bill . What? A collector of old school yearbooks? . The Quad-City Times . 25 February 2019 . en.
24. News: 2020-05-01. Coronavirus: Online DJ playing every chart hit since 1952. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-04-06.
25. Book: Wallace . Amy . Wallechinsky . David . Wallace . Irving . The Book of Lists . 1977 . William Morrow . 978-0-688-03183-1 . 178 . en . His personal collection of 85,000 records is said to be one of the largest private collections in the world..
26. Web site: Barrow. JL. Dr. Dre: "My Record Collection Is Gone". Nodfactor. November 2, 2017. November 23, 2010.
27. Web site: carlosmb - 78 rpm Records & Cylinders . carlosmb . 8 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181202225948/https://www.carlosmb.com/ . 2 December 2018.
28. Web site: Aquí hay trabajo . RTVE . 8 April 2019 . Spanish . 20 September 2017.
29. . Elton John Record Collection Reveals Hidden Treasures. Upland, California. Patrick & Patrick CPA. PR Newswire. 18 June 2013. 13 January 2020. contains more than 70,000 items consisting of singles, albums, 8 track cassettes, compact discs and unique studio tapes.
30. Web site: Sale of Elton John's record collection will help Aids trust . Shaw . John . 19 July 1993 . . 13 January 2020 . collection of 25,000 LPs and 23,000 singles, largely devoted to blues and soul.
31. Web site: Springsteen, Grohl, Elton John Ponder Tower Records Business Lessons As Movie Makes DVD . Beech . Mark . March 28, 2016 . . July 22, 2021.
32. Web site: The Rolling Stone Interview: Elton John . https://web.archive.org/web/20190212130211/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-rolling-stone-interview-elton-john-100053/ . 2019-02-12 . Scaggs . Austin . 17 February 2011 . . 12 May 2023 . I was just starting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. To raise money, I sold them for $250,000 to somebody in St. Louis. I really regret it now..
33. Web site: Coleman . Jonny . Classics Never Die: What It Means for DJs to Grow Old . . November 2, 2017 . en . August 6, 2015.
34. http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/music/mlsc/collection.cfm?id=255&f=jazz UCLA Music Library
35. News: McVeigh. Róisín. DJ Shadow: 'I try to buy a 12-inch of every rap record ever made'. November 2, 2017. The Irish Times. November 2, 2016.
36. Record Collector. 2009.
37. Web site: Bakkalapulo. Maria. Gladys Palmera, the World's Largest Latin Music Archive, Has a Miami Connection. Miami New Times. November 2, 2017. May 19, 2017.
38. Web site: Spice. Anton. Inside the world's largest dedicated collection of Latin American music. The Vinyl Factory. November 2, 2017. April 6, 2017.
39. Web site: Lezcano . Arturo . Gladys Palmera, historia de una mecenas inesperada . Jot Down Cultural Magazine . 12 November 2019 . es . 13 March 2019.
40. Web site: Recio . Milena . Colección Gladys Palmera: el tesoro de la música latina y cubana . Gladys Palmera Collection: the treasure of Latin and Cuban music . OnCubaNews . 12 November 2019 . es . 7 June 2019.
41. Web site: The Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings . Frontera Project . UCLA . 14 May 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190502032505/http://frontera.library.ucla.edu/ . 2 May 2019.
42. Clark . Walter Aaron . The Arhoolie Foundation's Strachwitz Frontera Collection of Mexican and Mexican American Recordings. By Agustín Gurza, with Jonathan Clark and Chris Strachwitz. Los Angeles: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press, 2012.. Journal of the Society for American Music . 5 December 2014 . 8 . 4 . 570–578 . 10.1017/S1752196314000418.
43. https://muziekcentrum.kunsten.be/identity.php?ID=132322
44. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEV_onHm6Oo
45. https://www.demorgen.be/nieuws/de-platencollectie-van-soulwax-is-groter-dan-die-van-u~b6f966e7/?referrer=https://www.google.com/
46. https://www.pxl.be/Pub/Home/In-De-Media/In-De-Media-2014/PXL-studenten-inventariseren-5000-vinyls-in-ruil-voor-exclusieve-Soulwax-afterparty.html?filter=
47. https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20140325_01040641
48. News: Wyatt. Marshall. "Every County Has Its Own Personality" An Interview With David Freeman. The Old-Time Herald. 2. August 11, 1999. 7.
49. DJ Magazine. 106.
50. Web site: Vincent Gallo Biography. 2020-10-18. www.vincentgallofilms.com.
51. News: Clinton. Jane. Bob Harris: The love I will leave. November 2, 2017. Express. August 22, 2010. en.
52. https://www.vice.com/read/free-brain-v12n3 Free Brain
53. News: Kenning . Dan . Classic Concept: 'Afternoon Program' host Don Tait, WFMT-FM survive 20 years together . . June 16, 1992 . February 26, 2024 . https://megalodon.jp/2024-0227-0555-25/https://www.newspapers.com:443/article/chicago-tribune/142012140/ . February 26, 2024 . 66.
54. Web site: Maish . Julia . Keegan . Morris . Remembering Don Tait . . February 4, 2024 . February 26, 2024 . https://megalodon.jp/2024-0227-0503-53/https://www.wfmt.com:443/2024/02/04/remembering-don-tait/ . February 26, 2024.
55. Web site: Un coleccionista de discos abre su propio museo de la música en el municipio de Santo Domingo . A record collector opens his own music museum in the city of Santo Domingo" . Teleantioquia . 8 April 2019 . Spanish . 5 January 2015.
56. News: La música de Augusto . 8 April 2019 . Contexto . 24 . Facultad de Comunicación Social-Periodismo de la Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana . June 2010 . Medellín, Colombia . Spanish.
57. Book: Montoya Arias . Luis Omar . El síndrome de la nostalgia . 2014 . Ediciones Universitarias . Guanajuato, Mexico . 48 . 1st . Spanish.
58. News: Fox. Killian. At home with the world's most dedicated record collectors. November 2, 2017. The Observer. February 22, 2015.
59. Web site: Minsker. Marc. Paz. Eilon. The King of 78s – Joe Bussard. August 22, 2012. Dust & Grooves. November 2, 2017.
60. Web site: University of York Sound Archives . York.ac.uk . 2017-08-08.
61. Web site: Fox . Margalit . Brian Rust, Father of Modern Discography, Dies at 88 . The New York Times . 25 May 2019 . 2 February 2011.
62. Web site: Blanco. A. Grandmaster Flash: Revolve Around Science. HipHopDX. November 2, 2017. March 27, 2009.
63. News: Interview: Andy Kershaw, DJ. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107112542/http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/interview-andy-kershaw-dj-1-1741087. 2017-11-07. May 12, 2023. The Scotsman. July 9, 2011.
64. Web site: DMC Creator, Mr Tony Prince. DMC World Magazine. November 2, 2017. April 29, 2009.
65. Book: Carlin. Richard. Folk. 2006. Facts On File. New York, NY. 189–190. Harry Smith. 9780816069781.
66. News: Miller . M. H. . Montamat . Thibault . R. Crumb Means Some Offense; Even from his refuge in France, the comics artist still makes America's pulse race . subscription . https://web.archive.org/web/20221027161133/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/t-magazine/r-crumb.html . 2022-10-27 . . 15 September 2022.