ROCHESTER MUSIC HALL OF FAME : CLASS OF 2017 INDUCTION : KODAK HALL @ EASTMAN THEATER

For the 6th Consecutive year, I’ve had the privilege of serving the Rochester Music Hall of Fame’s Annual Induction Ceremony. Year over year, the event is held in one of the Country’s most celebrated music halls – Kodak Hall @ Eastman Theater. For a complete wrap-up of the event, visit the official RMHOF Website at:

http://rochestermusic.org/ or simply CLICK HERE.

The following is a list of the talented and diverse Rochestarians honored in the Class of 2017:

Lew Soloff – Grammy Award-winning trumpeter for Blood, Sweat & Tears, and instructor at Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music. Sorloff died of a heart attack in 2015. A tribute to Lew was performed by David Clayton-Thomas, lead singer of Blood, Sweat, & Tears with accompaniment by the leader of The World’s Most Dangerous Band – the one and only Paul Shaffer.
Samuel Adler – Celebrated classical composer and Eastman School of Music professor of composition from 1966 to 1995. With Adler in attendance, the Upton String Quartet with Yi-Yang Cheng on piano performed his 1999 composition “Piano Quintet for Piano and String Quartet.”
Joe Beard – Revered blues guitarist and vocalist who played with the likes of Son House, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and John Lee Hooker. Joe Beard performed at the ceremony joined by his sons, Chris and Duane, and backed by RMHF house band Prime Time Funk.
Gary Lewis – 1960s hitmaker with Gary Lewis and the Playboys, topping the charts with eight gold singles and 17 Top 40 hits. Gary Lewis and the Playboys performed some of their best hits.
Uncle Roger McCall – Pioneer radio DJ and supporter of Rochester’s local music scene as host of the radio show, “Homegrown.” Also known as “Uncle Rog,” the longest running DJ at a single station in the US (1973-2003) and hero to the local music scene, which he passionately promoted up until his murder during a robbery in 2003. Local musicians peformed a tribute to both Uncle Rog and Greg Sullivan.
Greg Sullivan and The Penny Arcade – Legendary supporter of the local music scene and owner of The Penny Arcade, one of Rochester’s most revered music clubs. The venue was opened in 1973 by Sullivan, who booked national acts and mentored local musicians. Sullivan died of a heart attack in 2014. A plaque in his honor hangs on the now-closed Penny Arcade. Local musicians including Frank DeBlase peformed a tribute to both Uncle Rog and Greg Sullivan.