Bobby Bradford and William Roper Fire Relief

[ep1str0phy]

Hello, all-

(Apologies in advance if this thread seems inappropriate for the artists subforum)

Long story short, Bobby Bradford and William Roper - two LA creative musicians whom you may be familiar with - recently lost their homes in the 2025 LA wildfires. About half of Altadena was destroyed, and countless musicians were affected. Bobby actually lost his horns, escaping only with the clothes on his back. 

 

We have started two (official) fundraisers to help the aforementioned gentlemen get back on their feet. Contributions are of course extremely welcome, but any help spreading the word, etc., would be hugely appreciated. 

 

Bobby: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bobby-bradford-rebuild-after-wildfire

Roper: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-william-roper-rebuild-after-wildfire

 

All the best,

 

 

K/ep1str0phy

 

[Chuck Nessa]

Thanks for the information.

[clifford_thornton]

Thanks for posting this here, Karl -- gutting.

[Clunky]

Grim news. 

[mjazzg]

Dreadful, hope he's OK physically.

It seems that Steve Lehman and Bennie Maupin also lost homes

[Д.Д.]

Karl, thanks for starting the fundraiser and sharing the information here. 

[AndreyHenkin]

Also Bennie Maupin:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-maupin-family-recover-from-eaton-canyon-wild-fire

And apparently Steve Lehman and John Clayton as well.

[Pim]

Awful news. Thanks for sharing!

[clifford_thornton]

5 hours ago, AndreyHenkin said:

Also Bennie Maupin:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-maupin-family-recover-from-eaton-canyon-wild-fire

And apparently Steve Lehman and John Clayton as well.

Charlie Haden's widow too.

[ep1str0phy]

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, kind words, and consideration! Lest it go unsaid, I'm happy for others to post any and all fundraisers for other musicians.

It's an extremely chaotic situation. To those not attuned to the situation, Altadena was a musicians' haven of sorts. According to my understanding, about half of the area was burned down. The personal loss is immense, and we also lost a tremendous amount of history. Bobby's home alone was a storehouse for a lot of things that the jazz and creative music worlds will sorely miss. 

Any and all help is appreciated. As far as I can tell, basically all of the fundraisers have been run by friends and other musicians. Only hands can wash hands, etc. 

If you're in or near LA right now, please stay safe. And much love to everyone. 

[clifford_thornton]

On 1/11/2025 at 12:35 PM, clifford_thornton said:

Charlie Haden's widow too.

should have said "first wife." 

Looks like Madlib also lost it all in one of the fires. Terrible.

Edited Monday at 07:00 PM by clifford_thornton

[ep1str0phy]

3 hours ago, clifford_thornton said:

Looks like Madlib also lost it all in one of the fires. Terrible.

On top of the personal loss, the destruction of all that vinyl is devastating. 

On a brighter note, the sheer volume of people who have reached out with offers of aid is truly humbling. Music people take care of music people. It's a truly beautiful thing. 

[clifford_thornton]

17 hours ago, ep1str0phy said:

On top of the personal loss, the destruction of all that vinyl is devastating. 

 

yeah. Master tapes, all kinds of stuff. Really heartbreaking (and I know that's the case for Bradford, probably others too).

[Adam]

I was coming top post about this.  I live in Pasadena and had to evacuate from 1:30 am to last Tuesday, returning home yesterday.  Still waitingb to see if winds return tonight.  Home is ok but rife with the smell of smoke.  Multiple people we know lost their homes. Altadena was also an amazing mixed neighborhood with a large African-American artist community within it, and the majority of it is wiped out., including almost the entire business district.

[clifford_thornton]

Oh man, sorry to hear that Adam. What a nightmare scenario. I never visited Altadena but am sad about what's happened to it.