I was shocked yesterday, April 14th, 2020, to wake up to the news that Art Dudley had passed away. While I didn’t know Art as a close personal friend, he was my favorite audio writer of all time.
More than perhaps anyone else, Art inspired me and challenged me as a reviewer over the years. I still have most of the issues of Listener, the journal he published in the ’90s. It is my all-time favorite audio rag. Every month for the last 17 years, I have looked forward to his Listening column in Stereophile.
What I so liked about Art’s writing was that first and foremost he was a great writer who knew how to tell a good story. Art was straight forward, and let’s admit it, he was opinionated. He balanced this with a quirky sense of humor. I loved the little bunnies he would award to people who disagreed with him in Listener. Maybe the most important thing though about Art was that you could not read his articles without discovering how much he loved music.
I will miss his columns and most of all his point of view when it came to the reproduction of the musical experience. Goodbye, Art, you will be missed by many, and I will be forever grateful for what I learned from you about audio. Your influence will live on with this audio writer, and I’m sure with many others.