2006 Inductees Ceremony on October 15, 2006 at the Patchogue Theater. View images of the Inauguration Ceremony here.

Mose Allison - Mose Allison was born on November 11, 1927 on his grandfather's 80-acre farm on an island in the middle of a bayou in Tippo, a small town in the Mississippi Delta. As a boy, Mose plowed behind mules, cut and chopped cotton, hauled hay, and listened to jazz records on a wind-up Victrola. Mose began piano lessons at age 5, which he took to immediately, continued his musical education through high school, and later traveled to Memphis to hear the musicians inhabiting the Beale Street Auditorium and the city's clubs. After a stint in the military and graduation from Louisiana State University, Mose got married and moved to New York in 1956. He got his first record deal in 1957 after recording an album with Al Cohn and Bobby Brookmeyer. He also played with Zoot Sims, but his big break came when he worked with Stan Getz. He moved his young family to Long Island in 1963, where he continues to reside.

Mose developed a distinctive boogie-woogie/ be-bop influenced piano style which does not fit neatly into either blues or jazz categories. Allison has a lengthy discography, spanning nearly fifty years and over 46 albums not counting compilations and appearances on albums by others, and he has been a Grammy nominee three times. His compositions have been covered by dozens of artists, including John Mayall, the Who, Johnny Winter, the Clash, Eric Clapton, The Yardbirds, Elvis Costello, Bill Wyman, Maria Muldaur, John Hammond, Bonnie Raitt and Van Morrison with Georgie Fame, who released 'Tell Me Something, Songs of Mose Allison' in 1996. Mose is certainly the most popular and influential jazz artist in the UK, and is the subject of a 2005 BBC documentary. Mose Allison is widely regarded as one of the finest songwriters of 20th century blues and jazz.
Performances on YouTube Here and Here.
www.moseallison.com

Sam Ash, Sr. - It all started on August 27, 1897. A new child was born on the earth his name was Samuel Ashkynase. Years later, he would soon create the beginning to one of the largest music stores known to man. Sam Ash was a violinist who emigrated from Austria in 1907 and settled in New York City. He earned a living playing with various bands before founding his own outfit, the Sam Ash Orchestra. By the early 1920s, Ash was married and ready to quit touring and settle down. So he gravitated to what he knew best and opened the first Sam Ash Music store in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1924, pawning his wife's engagement ring to come up with the $400 down payment. The store became a local landmark, and when he turned the business over to his sons Jerry and Paul in the 1950s, they launched an expansion plan and pioneered the megastore concept.

The stores today average about 20,000 square feet and carry a full range of instruments and accessories, from vintage guitars to state-of-the-art recording equipment. The 37-store chain has a reputation for quality that attracts some the music industry's top artists. During their U.S. tours, members of the Rolling Stones have stopped in, along with Elton John and Joe Cocker. Bruce Springsteen and members of the E Street Band frequent the New Jersey and New York outlets, as do Bette Midler, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder. In addition to providing musicians with the tools of their trade, Sam Ash supports the local music scene in its markets--and generates plenty of publicity--by teaming up with radio stations and promoters to sponsor concerts and special events.
www.samashmusic.com
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FNP/is_10_42/ai_102138487

Tony Bennett - Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Astoria on August 3, 1926. He grew up in Queens, studied singing and painting in high school, and his singing style was influenced by his idols Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole. During World War II, Tony sang with military bands during his Army enlistment, then studied singing at the American Theatre Wing school. He had chosen to use Joe Bari as his stage name; while performing with Pearl Bailey in 1949, he was discovered by Bob Hope, who suggested that he change his name to Tony Bennett. Bennett signed a recording contract with Columbia later that year, and he had a series of hit singles during the 1950s. During the 1960s, he performed with Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Woody Herman. In 1962, Bennett first performed his signature tune 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he recorded a number of albums featuring such jazz greats as Marian McPartland, Charlie Byrd, George Benson, Dexter Gordon and Dizzie Gillespie.

In the 1990s, he became involved in high-profile collaborations with pop and rock stars, notably with k.d. laing and Elvis Costello on MTV 'Unplugged', on CDs, in videos and television. He received a Grammy in 1994 for 'Album of the Year', cultivating a following among young people that was unequalled by anyone else of his generation. He staged a world tour in 1995, has won ten Grammy Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and has sold over 50 million records world-wide. Active in humanitarian causes, Tony has raised millions of dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation which has established a research fund in his name, as well as donating a painting each year for the American Cancer Society. He is active in environmental concerns, and was bestowed an award by the Martin Luther King Center for his efforts to fight discrimination.

Tony is known as a singer's singer; no less a personage than Frank Sinatra said "Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business." Tony Bennett's career has spanned the years from the 1940s through the present day, and he is still actively performing and recording.
Performances on YouTube Here and Here.
www.tonybennett.net

Gary U.S. Bonds - America's baby boomers moved into their mid teens, Gary began his professional career. For his first hit, "New Orleans", attention was brought to the record by having promotional copies sent to radio stations in sleeves inscribed "Buy U.S. Bonds" - hence at age 19, Gary Anderson became Gary U.S. Bonds. The follow-up was the now legendary 'party' record, "Quarter to Three", a number one hit with a spirit and energy that would eventually inspire and influence a generation. Over the next three years, Bonds co-wrote and recorded hit after good-time hit: "School is Out", "School is In", "Dear Lady Twist", "Twist, Twist Senora", "Seven Day Weekend" and others. He performed throughout the world, rising to a status so high that on a 1963 tour of Europe, he headlined above a group of relative newcomers - the Beatles. A rare distinction for Gary is that he managed to transcend the decades with hits. His inspiration for Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt, who had grown up on Bonds' music led to a chance meeting in 1980. A friendship developed and, shortly after, a musical collaboration which resulted in Bonds' "Dedication" and "On the Line" LP's, with singles: "This Little Girl Is Mine," "Out of Work," "Jole Blon" and "Daddy's Come Home". Reviews noted "His gritty, soulful and powerful vocals are even better than before."While he has continued to perform, Gary also keeps active as a songwriter. His success as a songwriter even garnered him a nomination for the Country Music Association's "Songwriter of the Year". Gary is an honoree of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, a "favorite son" of the Blues Brothers and a highly respected golfer, often invited to play at celebrity PGA events. "Quarter To Three" appears on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. Bonds continues to release albums, including collaborations with Bruce Springsteen, and today is a mainstay of the nostalgia concert circuit. While Gary U.S. Bonds is mostly known for achievements within Rhythm and Blues and Rock 'n' roll, he often transcends these genres; he has been nominated for the Country Music Association's "Songwriter of the Year" distinction. He is also a honoree of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.
Performances on YouTube Here and Here.
www.garyusbonds.com

Harry Chapin was born December 7, 1942, the son of James Chapin (who was a drummer for Tommy Dorsey and Woody Herman) and Elspeth Hart. The family moved to Brooklyn Heights in the 1950s, and music was important facet of family life when the children were growing up. Harry began playing trumpet, but after he discovered folk music in 1957, he learned to play the guitar. Harry formed a band with brothers Tom, Steve and James, and began writing songs in the 1960s. After marrying Sandy Gaston, Harry moved to Huntington in 1968, and started a family. His songwriting changed direction in 1970, and he formed a trio with a cello player and bass guitarist in 1971. Harry signed a recording contract with Elektra Records, which released "Heads and Tales" in late '71 with its #1 hit "Taxi". He also released "Legends of the Lost & Found", "Sniper and Other Love Songs", "Dance Band on the Titanic", "Living Room Suite", and "On the Road to Kingdom Come" during his lifetime. Harry was also interested in theatrical production: he created the multimedia show "The Night That Made America Famous" in 1975, which received two Tony nominations.

Harry met father Bill Ayers in 1975; together, they formed World Hunger Year in 1975, and the Food Policy Center (a Washington-based lobby organization) in 1976, which resulted in the formation of a Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. Harry was appointed to this commission by then-President Jimmy Carter. By the end of his life, Harry was playing 200 concerts a year, half of which were benefits, and raised an enormous amount of money for hunger-related issues as well as for the Performing Arts Foundation. He had also persuaded the New York State Council on the Arts to support the formation of the Long Island Philharmonic. Harry died in an automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway on July 16, 1981 on the way to perform in a free concert at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow.
Audio Portrait
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here .
www.harrychapinmusic.com

George M. Cohan - George Michael Cohan (1878-1942), often referred to as the "Man who owned Broadway," was a playwright, producer, performer, and composer, all in one. This Providence, Rhode Island born talent got his start at the age of nine, when he first graced the stage. He went on to star in The Four Cohans, a popular vaudeville attraction also featuring his fellow show-biz family members. He was just 16 years old when in 1894, he sold his first song to Witmark Music Publishing. Cohan's first play hit Broadway in NYC in 1901, and real success followed three years later when he played Yankee Doodle Boy in his musical Little Johnny Jones (1904). Cohan, known for his hustle and bustle style, wrote approximately 20 plays and musical comedies, in many of which he played the lead. Some examples of his work include Forty-five Minutes from Broadway (1905), Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913), The Song and Dance Man (1923), and The Merry Malones (1927). He also performed in other artists' productions, including Eugene O'Neil's Ah, Wilderness! (1933) and Rodgers and Hart's I'd Rather Be Right (1937).

Cohan had been called the "most representative American dramatist of the present period." This influential artist developed a play-writing formula still being used by American playwrights today, and the term "typically American" has become interchangeable with "Cohan-esque" in the theater world. George M. Cohan is very well known for his compositions, "Give My Regards to Broadway," "You're a Grand Old Flag," and "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy." He also wrote "Over There," a World War I hit inspired by a newspaper article regarding America's entrance into the war. Cohan, who wrote this song in his Kings Point home, was awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for the composition of his patriotic songs.
www.musicals101.com/cohanbio1.htm
http://parlorsongs.com/issues/2004-7/thismonth/feature.asp

John Coltrane - John Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina surrounded by music. John began his musical studies on the E-flat horn and clarinet, but he shifted his interest to alto saxophone when he was in high school. He studied in Philadelphia at Granoff Studios and the Ornstein School of Music until he was called to military service during World War II, when he performed in the US Navy Band in Hawaii. After the war, John began playing tenor saxophone, and expanded his vision and experimentation, playing in the Eddie 'CleanHead' Vinson Band, followed stints with Jimmy Heath, Thelonius Monk and Dizzy Gillespie.When he joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1958, he found his freedom of expression, developing his distinctive three-on-one chord approach, and his method of playing multiple notes at one time, called 'sheets of sound'. By 1960, Coltrane had formed his own quartet which included McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison, which created some of the most innovative music in Jazz.

Coltrane released 79 albums as a bandleader in his lifetime, including 'My Favorite Things' released in 1960, 'Giant Steps' in 1959, 'Africa/Brass' in 1961, and the watershed work 'A Love Supreme' in 1964, which was created at his home in Dix Hills. A spiritual man, Coltrane felt deeply that his music was an instrument to create positive thoughts in the mind. John Coltrane succumbed to liver disease on July 17, 1967 at the age of 40, yet his music continues to be widely heard to this day in both film and television scores. In 1982, Coltrane was posthumously awarded a Grammy for 'Best Solo Jazz Performance' and in 1997, he received the RIAA's highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Universally recognized as one of the most revolutionary saxophonists in jazz, Coltrane has been honored by the USPS with a commemorative postage stamp, and by Universal Studios/MCA Records by naming a street in his honor.

On April 20, 2004, the Town Board of Huntington approved to designate the Coltrane home in Dix Hills as an Historic Landmark slated for preservation.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here an Here.
www.johncoltrane.com
www.dixhills.com

Perry Como - A long time Port Washington resident. In 1945, Como recorded the pop ballad "'Til the End of Time" (based on Chopin's "Polonaise"), which marked the beginning a highly successful career. Como was the first artist to have ten records sell more than one million copies. Similarly, his television show achieved a much higher rating than that of any other vocalist to date.

On March 14, 1958, the RIAA certified Como's hit single, "Catch a Falling Star" as its first ever "Gold Record." His exclusive recording contract with RCA Victor in 1943 began an association that would last for almost fifty years. He recorded many albums of songs for the RCA Victor label between 1952 and 1987, and is credited with numerous gold records. Como had so many recordings achieve gold-record status that he refused to have many of them certified. It was this characteristic which made him so different from his peers, and which endeared him to legions of fans throughout the world. Over the decades, Como is reported to have sold millions of records, but he commonly suppressed these figures.

His regular television show, at first a spin-off from the Chesterfield Supper Club, continued through the early 1950s, becoming The Perry Como Show, and then for five years The Perry Como Kraft Music Hall. He became the highest paid performer in the history of television to that date, earning mention in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Audio Portrait
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.
www.perrycomo.net

James (Jimmy) D'Aquisto - James (Jimmy) D'Aquisto was born on November 9, 1935. He began making guitars at the age of 17, and was apprenticed to master luthier John D'Angelico, who was considered to be the premier archtop builder of the 20th century. After D'Angelico's death in 1964, Jimmy branched out on his own, operating a lutherie in Farmingdale. He also designed guitars for Fender and Hagstrom. Jimmy was well-known for his intense drive, humor, and his willingness to share his knowledge with young luthiers, including Canadian master luthier Linda Manzer (who builds guitars for Pat Metheny), whom he had invited to study with him at Farmingdale in 1982. Starting about 1967, Jimmy developed a number of innovations, including adjustable tailpieces, smaller pickguards and redesigned f-holes. His elegant and sleek designs, as well as the rich tonal quality and dynamic range of his guitars, made them treasured favorites of serious players and collectors. Jimmy also believed that heavy ornamentation, such as pearl and abalone inlays, detracted from a guitar's tone; this belief is carried on by many luthiers of today.

Jimmy's meticulous attention to detail and innovative design concepts earned him the title of the world's greatest luthier long before his untimely death at the age of 59 on April 18, 1995. No less authorities than George Gruhn, and the late collector Scott Chinery, have cited Jimmy as the finest luthier in the world. His archtop guitars sold for $40,000 before his death, and are among the most highly prized modern instruments, currently fetching well into the six-figure range.

"Acquired of the Angels: The Lives and Works of Master Guitar Makers John D'Angelico and James L. D'Aquisto" by Paul William Schmidt 1991, 1998 Scarecrow Press, London
James D'Aquisto

Edward "Little Buster" Forehand - Little Buster may very well be the originator of soul and blues on Long Island. Born on September 28, 1942 in Hereford, NC, Buster developed glaucoma at age 3. By the time his vision was completely gone, he was fluent on six instruments, including the guitar. He moved to Westbury, Long Island at age 16, and wasted no time making his mark. His first professional gig was at the Brooklyn Paramount, where he was a back-up guitarist for Allan Freed's Rock and Roll shows. He also became a regular at Long Island clubs. In 1961, Buster composed his first original song "Looking For a Home" while living in Glen Cove. First recorded on Josie/Jubilee after winning a talent contest at Harlem's Apollo Theatre in 1964, Buster released "Looking For a Home". He recorded a series of 45s there, including his biggest hit in 1968, Doc Pomus' "Young Boy Blues". Pomus said that Buster's overwhelming version of this song was the best rendition that he ever heard, far outstripping Ben E. King's attempt. Buster's last single with Josie was "City of Blues/ Cry Me a River". His 45s and several new compositions were compiled for the 1970 LP, 'Looking For a Home' that never came out until it was released by the English label Sequel in 1997. Buster changed his focus, concentrating on the live blues with his band, the Soul Brothers, where they were legendary for bluesy rocking soul that took no prisoners, led by Buster's tremendous guitar playing and heart-wrenching vocals. Buster married his wife, Mary, in 1969.

In 1995, Buster committed his sound to to vinyl once again with his Bullseye release, 'Right On Time'. This release brought him worldwide exposure, with a Handy Award nomination, and a runner-up award for Living Blues magazine's Critics' Award. His 2000 CD 'Work Your Show' opened the door to mass media exposure via CBS This Morning, Late Night With Conan O'Brian, The David Letterman Show, on Dan Aykroyd's House of Blues Hour, international music festivals, and, perhaps most rewarding, articles in Juke Blues Magazine, Backyard Blues and 20th Century Guitar magazine. As one of New York's great undiscovered treasures, Buster played the Long Island club circuit for over four decades. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Long Island Blues Society in 2002 for his efforts on behalf of the music, for his "slow-burning soul ballads, fiery blues guitar workouts and heart-stopping vocals". He passed away after a series of strokes in 2006.
www.little-buster-records.com (official website) and Fan page.

George Gershwin - George Gershwin was born Jacob Gershvin on September 26, 1898 in Brooklyn. The Gershwin family purchased a piano in 1910, intended for George's brother, Ira, but George quickly claimed it as his own. He progressed rapidly in music lessons, and was accepted in 1912 as a pupil of Charles Hambitzer, who took him to concerts, and assigned pieces by Debussey, Chopin and Liszt to the young man. In 1914, George dropped out of school to work for the Tin Pan Alley music publishing firm Jerome H. Remick & Co. for $15 per week as a song plugger. Young George cut his first piano rolls in 1915, and cut more than one hundred by his 18th birthday. George established himself as a Broadway composer by age 20, with three shows featuring his songs, and having composed the full score for 'La La Lucille'. 'Swanee', which was recorded in 1920 by Al Jolson, became a hit, bringing $10,000 in Composer's royalties in the first year of its publication. George continued to write scores for Broadway and London productions throughout the early 1920s. In 1924, George composed and performed 'Rhapsody in Blue' for piano and orchestra in a concert billed as 'An Experiment in Modern Music'. The work was renowned as historic, as was its' composer: Gershwin was the man who brought jazz to the concert stage. By the time he turned 30, he was America's most famous and widely accepted composer of concert music. He received acclaim for composing favorites which included 'Strike Up the Band', 'Someone to watch Over Me','Embraceable You',and 'I Got Rhythm' among scores of other songs. He delved into Hollywood film scores in the 1930s, and began the score for the ground-breaking full-length American folk-opera 'Porgy and Bess' in 1934; this include one of his most iconic pieces, 'Summertime'. In 1937, despite complaining of dizzy spells, George continued to perform and compose until July 9th, when he fell into a coma. He received emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor, but died two days later on July 11, 1937 at the age of 38.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.
Hear George Gershwin Performing His Rhapsody in Blue Here
www.gershwin.com

Richie Havens - Born in Brooklyn, Richard P. Havens was the eldest of nine children. At an early age, he began organizing his neighborhood friends into street corner doo-wop groups, and was performing with The McCrea Gospel Singers at 16. At the age of 20, Richie left Brooklyn to seek out the artistic stimulation of Greenwich Village. Richie's reputation as a solo performer soon spread beyond the Village folk circles. He recorded two albums worth of demos for Douglas International in 1965 and '66, though none of the tracks were released until his first two albums caused a stir. After joining forces with legendary manager Albert Grossman, Richie landed his first record deal with the Verve label, which released Mixed Bag in 1967. This auspicious debut album featured standout tracks like, "Handsome Johnny" (co-written by Richie and future Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr.), "Follow", and the striking version of Bob Dylan's, "Just Like AWoman" that earned him the reputation of being a premier interpreter of Dylan's material. It was as a live performer that Richie first earned widespread notice. By decade's end, he was in great demand in colleges across the country, as well as on the international folk and pop festival circuit. Richie played the 1966 Newport Folk Festival, the 1967 Monterey Jazz Festival, the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, the 1969 Woodstock Festival, the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival, and the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970._Richie's Woodstock appearance proved to be a major turning point in his career. As the festival's first performer, he held the crowd spellbound for nearly three hours, called back for encore after encore. Having run out of tunes, he improvised a song based on the old spiritual "Motherless Child" that became "Freedom", a song now considered to be the anthem of a generation. The subsequent movie release helped Richie reach a worldwide audience of millions. Meanwhile Richie started his own record label in 1970, and delivered Alarm Clock, which yielded the hit single "Here Comes The Sun", and became Richie's first album to reach Billboard's Top 30 Chart. Richie Havens is gifted with one of the most recognizable voices in popular music. His fiery, poignant, always soulful singing style has remained unique and ageless since he first emerged from the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960's. It's a voice that has inspired and electrified audiences from the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair in 1969, to the Clinton Presidential Inauguration in 1993 -coming full circle with the 30th Woodstock Anniversary celebration, "A Day In The Garden", in 1999.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.
www.richiehavens.com

Joan Jett - By playing pure and simple rock & roll without making an explicit issue of her gender, Joan Jett became a figurehead for several generations of female rockers. Jett's brand of rock & roll is loud and stripped-down, a combination of the Stones' tough, sinewy image and beat, AC/DC chords, and glam rock hooks. As the numerous covers she has recorded show, she adheres both to rock tradition and breaks with it - she plays classic three-chord rock & roll, yet she also loves the trashy elements of it as well,- and she plays with a defiant sneer. Jett was born in Philadelphia, PA; her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 12 years old. By the time she was 15, she had formed her first band and was performing around town. Kim Fowley, a Los Angeles record producer, discovered the band at one of their gigs and became their manager; soon, he renamed the all-female group the Runaways and secured them a contract with Mercury Records. The band released three albums that never had much commercial success in America, yet were very popular in Japan; the group was popular in both the Los Angeles hard rock and punk scenes, which led to Jett's production of the Germs' first record. The Runaways broke up in 1980 and Jett moved to New York to begin a solo career. Teaming up with producer/manager Kenny Laguna, Jett moved to Long Island and independently released her self-titled debut album in 1980 in America, since no labels were interested in signing her. The record was a more traditional rock & roll record than the punky Runaways, yet it retained her previous band's defiant attitude. The record sold very well for an independent release, leading to a contract with Boardwalk Records, who reissued the album under the title Bad Reputation; it soon climbed to number 51 on the American charts. Jett formed the Blackhearts between Bad Reputation and her second album, 1981's I Love Rock-n-Roll, which became her greatest success, spending seven weeks at number one in the spring of 1982. The follow-up single, a version of Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover," went Top Ten as well, and her next album, released in 1983, went gold. Jett starred in Paul Schrader's 1987 film Light of Day, which featured the Top 40 title song and in 1988, "I Hate Myself for Loving You" hit number eight; the album became her second platinum record. A new generation of female rockers had come of age of age; everyone from hard alternative rockers like L7 to the minimalist, riot grrrl punk rockers like Bikini Kill claimed Jett and the Runaways as an influence. In 1995, Jett recorded the live album Evilstig with the remaining members of the Gits, a Seattle punk rock band whose lead singer, Mia Zapata, was raped and murdered in 1993. Jett reunited with the Blackhearts in 1999.
Audio Portrait
Performances on YouTube Here, and Here and Here.
www.joanjett.com

www.rollingstone.com news story:
Rolling Stone

Billy Joel - Of all the musicians associated with Long Island, Billy Joel is easily the most recognized name. As a pop star, Joel is known around the world. As a recording superstar, his many hits have sold well over 100,000,000 copies placing him in the top echelon of all artists. To many, Billy Joel is Long Island. Growing up in Hicksville, New York, Billy Joel's career began as many other Long Island musicians - in the garage. Several neighborhood friends formed The Echoes and asked Billy to sing and play piano with them. Their venues were basement parties and sock hops. Changing their name to The Lost Souls, the band began to win local competitions and an offer to record for Mercury Records where they waxed "Journey's End" and "Time and Time Again." Before Mercury shelved the project, the band changed their name again to The Commandos and the tracks they recorded still rest somewhere in the Mercury vault. The Hassles, another up and coming Long Island band, advertised for a keyboard player and Billy Joel won the audition. Nearly overnight, The Hassles became one of the Island's top groups. Signing with United Artists, The Hassles recorded three albums and a single, a cover of Sam and Dave's, "You Got Me Hummin'." While never garnering big sales, the albums were popular on East Coast college campuses. With internal differences and management problems, The Hassles folded in 1970. Billy and his childhood friend and bassist, Howie Blauvelt, then formed a two-man army called Attila which recorded one album. Again, management problems forced Billy to leave New York and head to Los Angeles where we worked in bars under the name Bill Martin. Returning a year later, he recorded his first solo album as Billy Joel entitled Cold Spring Harbor. Again, the album did not sell well but it paved the way for a contract with Columbia Records and in 1973, he released Piano Man. From that time forward, his star began to rise deep into the pop galaxy. Streetlife Serenade, Turnstiles, The Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses, Songs in the Attic, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, The Bridge, Storm Front and River of Dreams all sold well in to the millions. Commercial radio filled the air with hit song after hit song: "Piano Man", "The Entertainer", "Just The Way You Are", "Movin' Out", "Only The Good Die Young", "She's Always A Woman", "My Life", "Big Shot", "Honesty", "All for Leyna", "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", "Don't Ask Me Why", "You May Be Right", "Say Goodbye to Hollywood", "She's Got A Way", "Pressure", "Allentown", "Uptown Girl", "Tell Her About It", "The Longest Time", "Keeping The Faith", "You're Only Human", "A Matter of Trust" and "We Didn't Start The Fire" are only some of the songs that were top hits. Some of these songs are now a firm part of the American music vocabulary. "Just The Way You Are" is played at nearly every wedding ceremony. "Allentown" focused upon the collapse of the industrial towns across the nation. "New York State of Mind" is often considered the state song. "The Downeast Alexa" portrayed the sad demise of Long Island's haul-seigners at the expense of the sport fishing industry. "We Didn't Start The Fire" ran down the news events of his life and is still often used as an illustrative history lesson in schools.

As a concert artist, his concerts are always sellouts. The Billy Joel Band was the first American rock band to tour the Soviet Union. Not long after the tour, the Iron Curtain fell and the Soviet Union collapsed. His solo tours with Elton John are also sold out events. In the mid 1990's, he stopped writing pop music and he curtailed his performance schedule focusing more on classical piano music and teaching master classes at local colleges (he holds a New York State Teaching License). His music also became a Broadway hit, "Movin' Out", with choreography by Twyla Tharp.
Audio Portrait
Performances on YouTube Here, Here, Here and Here.
www.billyjoel.com

Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge - Born Johnny Maestrangelo in Brooklyn on May 7, 1939, Johnny Maestro began his career singing with a group from Manhattan called The Crests. Their breakout single was 'Sixteen Candles', which hit #2 on the national charts. They followed this up with a string of hits, including 'Trouble in Paradise', 'Step by Step', 'The Angels Listened In' and 'Six Nights a Week. After leaving The Crests, Maestro went on the score two Top 40 solo hits in 1961, 'Model Girl' and 'What a Surprise.

In the early '60s, Maestro began working with a New York vocal group known as The Del-Satins. While working the local club circuit, they ran into a seven-piece band called Rhythm Method. The two bands were so impressed with each other that they decided to merge together into what became The Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge soon gained national exposure, thanks in part to their recording of Jim Webb's 'The Worst That Could Happen', which led to a chart-topping Gold Record and a string of television appearances on shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and Della Reese. The band followed this up with such hits as 'Welcome Me Love', 'Blessed Is the Rain', 'Your Husband, My Wife' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. By 1972, The Brooklyn Bridge had sold over 10 million records, and Johnny Maestro had established himself as one of the top vocal performers of his era. During the '70s, The Brooklyn Bridge went through a series of musical and personnel changes. They continued playing in various renditions. In 1989, they released a successful Christmas EP. To this date, Johnny Maestro and The Brooklyn Bridge continue to sell out shows at various venues around the country.
Performances on YouTube Here and Here.
www.j-maestro-bklyn-bridge.com

The Long Island members of KISS:
George Peter Criscuola - a.k.a. Peter Criss - is the co-founder and drummer for the rock band KISS. Criss joined the pre-KISS group Wicked Lester in 1973, and took the stage persona of 'The Cat' when KISS adopted the use of makeup and costumes. Despite a youth spent as a tough Brooklyn gang member, Peter was also an avid art student and jazz aficionado. While playing with bandleader Joey Greco, Criscuola ended up studying under his idol, Gene Krupa, at the Metropole Club in New York. This blossomed into an active musical career as he went on to play jazz and rock with a number of bands in New York and New Jersey throughout the 1960s. In 1973, Peter placed an ad in Rolling Stone magazine in an attempt to find a band that needed a drummer. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley responded, and were knocked out by Criss' playing style. Criss co-wrote the ballad "Beth" - a Top 10 hit for the band - in 1976. His drum solo in the group's '100,000 Years' was a consistent showstopper. And the show-closing 'Black Diamond' often found Criss suspended thirty plus feet in the air over the KISS army. Peter Criss left KISS in May 1980 to begin a solo career. He released three albums over the next fifteen years. He reunited with KISS in 1995, and remained with them until 2002.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.

Stanley Harvey Eisen aka Paul Stanley was born in Queens in 1952. The guitarist and vocalist in KISS is also the writer or co-writer of most of the band's highest-charting hits, including "Rock And Roll All Nite", "Hard Luck Woman", "I Was Made For Lovin' You", and "Forever". Through a mutual friend of Gene Simmons, Stanley joined Simmons' band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s. The band recorded an album in 1971, but later disbanded, and Simmons and Stanley formed KISS with Peter Criss and Ace Frehley shortly thereafter. The new group felt they needed an 'angle', so they adopted unique personas and began experimenting with stage make-up. After an apprenticeship playing clubs around Queens and Manhattan, KISS landed a deal with the newly formed Casablanca Records, and released their self-titled debut in February 1974. Wearing spandex and platform boots, Stanley's persona became that of a Don Juan-esque lover - dubbed 'Starchild'. Paul's powerful stage voice has incited audiences to 'Rock and Roll All Nite' for over thirty years. In 1999 Stanley drew favorable reviews playing the title role in a Toronto production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. While in Toronto, Stanley was contacted by AboutFace, an organization that provides support and information to individuals with facial differences. He has since appeared at fundraising events and in videos to help raise awareness for the organization. In 2005, Stanley made his debut as a painter, exhibiting and selling original works of art.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.

Gene Simmons - 'The Demon' of the band KISS - was born Chaim Witz in Israel and raised in Brooklyn. Along with Paul Stanley (Starchild), Peter Criss (The Cat) and Paul "Ace" Frehley ('The Spaceman') he formed the original version of KISS after his earlier band, Wicked Lester, called it quits in the early 70s. The self-proclaimed "hottest band in the land" had its humble beginnings playing Long Island and New York clubs. Simmons' group found a sound that united British glam with New York rock and roll sensibility, and their stage personas gave them a unique identity. After releasing three studio albums that developed a cult following, the group scored a major chart hit in 1975 with a live version of their anthem "Rock and Roll All Nite". KISS quickly became known worldwide for its elaborate stage shows, driving music, and extravagant costumes. The members would also become rock's most mysterious figures; managing to prevent the press from getting photos of them without their trademark stage make-up for nearly ten years. Thirty-two years after the release of the band's first album, the "KISS Army" - as their fans became affectionately known - marches on, and the band continues to thrill audiences with its powerful stage show. Gene Simmons' thunderous bass, demonic growl during crowd favorites like 'God of Thunder', and outrageous stunts remain constants. Between KISS tours, Simmons managed to branch out as an actor on both the big and small screen. He is also a best-selling author, and a multi-faceted entrepreneur who has turned the KISS franchise into a multi-million dollar industry. He has been happily unmarried to Shannon Tweed, the mother of his two children, for twenty-two years. The family is currently the focus of the reality series 'Family Jewels' on A&E.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.

www.kissonline.com

Cyndi Lauper - Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper was born in Ozone Park, Brooklyn on June 22, 1953 to parents Catrine Dominique and Fred Lauper. She began playing the guitar and writing lyrics at the age of 12. Lauper performed throughout the '70s with a number of different cover bands. In 1980, she and John Turi formed the band Blue Angel and released a self-titled debut album. She signed with Portrait Records in 1983 as a solo artist. Her first solo album, She's So Unusual, went on to sell 4.5 million copies in the U.S. alone, and produced four Top Five Singles: 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun', 'Time After Time', 'All Through the Night', and 'She-Bop'. The album, and the videos made from her singles, garnered a number of awards. In 1985, Lauper was one of the many musical icons to lend her singing talent to the recording of USA for Africa's 'We Are the World', a Number One single that was produced to help raise money for starving people in Africa. In that same year, she penned and sang the theme song for the film The Goonies, '(The Goonies 'R') Good Enough'. She followed this up with her successful 1986 album True Colors.

Lauper continued to release albums throughout the '80s and early '90s. She also appeared in a pair of films, Vibes in 1988 with Jeff Goldblum, and Off and Running in 1990. It was on the set for this second film where she first met her husband, David Thornton.

Lauper released a number of albums during the '90s, including Twelve Deadly Cyns...And Then Some (1994), which contained many of her singles hits, Sisters of Avalon (1997), and Merry Christmas...Have a Nice Life (1998). Her son, Declyn Wallace Lauper-Thornton was born in November of 1997.

Lauper continues to record, perform live shows, and act.
Audio Portrait
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.
www.cyndilauper.com

Little Anthony and the Imperials - Little Anthony and The Imperials have enjoyed one of the longest careers of any doo wop group, mixing smooth ballads with R&B-influenced dance tunes. Little Anthony was born Jerome Anthony Gourdine in 1941, and grew up in Brooklyn (where he lived for 30 years of his life). While in high school, he sang in a doo wop group called The Duponts. After graduation, he joined another Brooklyn-based group called The Chesters. They had been formed by his friend Clarence Collins (tenor), and also featured Ernest Wright, Jr. (tenor), Tracy Lord (tenor), and Nat Rogers (bass). In 1958, they landed a recording contract with the End label, and changed their name to The Imperials. 'Little Anthony' was later tacked onto the beginning of their name by DJ Alan Freed.

The Imperials' first single for End was the classic 'Tears on My Pillow', which quickly became a Top Five hit on both the pop and R&B charts. The singleís B-side 'Two People in the World' was also something of a hit. The band followed with a number of lower-charting singles, including 'So Much', 'Wishful Thinking' and 'A Prayer and a Jukebox', before reaching the upper level of the charts again with a novelty dance track, 'Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop'. In 1961, Little Anthony embarked on a solo career, but he rejoined The Imperials in 1963. The reconstituted group signed with the DCP label, releasing 'I'm on the Outside (Looking In)', which reached number 15 on both the pop and R&B charts in 1964. The follow-up, 'Goin' Out of My Head' was a smash, returning them to the Top Ten. They had another Top Ten hit in 1965 with 'Hurt So Bad', and a couple of smaller hits later that year, 'I Miss You So' and 'Take Me Back'.

Little Anthony and the Imperials continued to chart singles over the next several years, but only one, 1969's 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind' reached the Top 50 on either the pop or R&B charts. Wright left the band in 1969, and Little Anthony himself left the band again in 1975. Little Anthony, Clarence Collins and Harold Wright, Jr. reunited in 1992, and have steadily toured the oldies circuit since.
Performances on YouTube Here.
www.littleanthonyandtheimperials.net

Long Island Philharmonic - The Long Island Philharmonic was founded in 1979 by folk singer Harry Chapin, Maestro Christopher Keene, and a group of Long Island's major community and business executives. In the years ensuing, the Philharmonic has not only performed at such venues as the Tilles Center in Brookville, which is the Philharmonic's home, the Staller Center in Stony Brook, and Southampton HS, they also perform regularly at outdoor locations including Heckscher Park in Huntington, Brookhaven Amphitheater in Farmingville and Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. In addition to its regularly scheduled concerts, which include Youth Concerts, as well as two free Summer Parks Concerts, the Philharmonic has expanded its mission to include Arts-in-Education Programs geared toward involving Long Island's school children in Youth Concerts, Master Classes, and other collaborative efforts with the school districts, including the John Funk Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to two students annually, one in Nassau County and one in Suffolk County.

The Philharmonic is also involved in programs with community-based organizations, including libraries, hospitals, senior centers, hospices, museums and malls, among other areas. Their most well-known program is called "Random Acts of Music", in addition to "Heartstrings", which provides over 2,000 tickets every year to those who would otherwise be unable to attend a performance.

The Philharmonic currently consists of 83 resident musicians, drawn from the New York area, as well as a number of guest artists, and an adjunct chorus of 150 members.
www.liphilharmonic.com
www.tillescenter.org

Marian McPartland - When considering the long and storied career of Marian McPartland it soon becomes apparent that the remarkable breadth and manner of her accomplishments are, in all likelihood, unmatched in the history of jazz. A pianist and composer gifted with a vast, encyclopedic memory and an intuitive sense of harmony, McPartland has been performing professionally for 65 years now, delighting audiences with her engaging artistry in clubs and concert halls around the globe and on scores of recordings. To millions of radio listeners, she is also the genial host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, the popular Peabody Award-winning National Public Radio program which is celebrating its 25th year on the airwaves. Additionally, McPartland has mentored countless musicians, spearheaded efforts in jazz education and served as one of the best ambassadors of jazz the world has known. From 1952 to 1960 Marian McPartland led a trio at the Hickory House, a nightclub on Manhattan's 52nd Street. On any given night those in attendance might include Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Steve Allen, Oscar Peterson or Artie Shaw, along with musicians like Bucky Pizzarelli and Paul Bley hoping to sit in with the band.

In 1978, Ms. McPartland began hosting Piano Jazz, and was commuting from her home in Port Washington to New York City. Thirty years on, she continues to make the weekly trip to host the longest-running cultural program on NPR, which reaches listeners on 200 public radio stations in 45 states and 24 foreign countries. Winner of the prestigious Peabody Award and the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award, Piano Jazz has also received honors from the New York Festival and the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television. In 2000, McPartland was named one of the American Jazz Masters by the National Endowment for the Arts. In her 25-year long tenure at the label, McPartland has released over 60 albums on Concord Records. Marian was awarded her first Grammy in 2004, a Trustees Lifetime Achievement Award celebrating her work as an educator, writer and radio host. She also celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Piano Jazz with a live taping in front of an audience at Kennedy Center, Washington DC on June 4, 2004 with special guest Peter Cincotti. At age 88, she continues to perform for audiences around the world, and, needless to say, talk of retirement confounds the seemingly indefatigable pianist, entertainer and legend who has guests booked for Piano Jazz two years from now.
www.npr.org/programs/pianojazz

George "Shadow" Morton - Shadow Morton has left an indelible mark in the history of popular American music. He is often credited with popularizing a style of mid 1960's music known as "The Long Island Sound." Raised in Brooklyn and Hicksville, young Morton was exposed to roving street gangs and motorcycle gangs. Years later, Morton would translate these memories into elaborate musical productions that would capture a universal imagination. Morton entered the music scene of the early 1960's. Contacting his childhood friend, Brill Building songwriter Ellie Greenwich, Morton talked his way into a demo session. Pulling together a young girl group from Astoria, some local musicians (including a young Billy Joel) and a basement studio in Bethpage, Morton created "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" and presented it to Greenwich's employers Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, who loved the track and send Morton into the studio to record the song, and the Shangri-Las were born. Soon after, Morton returned to the studio with the Shangri-Las and recorded, "Leader of The Pack." Morton added sound effects to create an evocative ambiance: "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" with its sounds of waves and seagulls became the romantic summer theme on Long Island beaches, and "Leader of the Pack" with its revving motorcycles and anti-hero protagonist became a classic road song. Morton is credited with discovering a young folk singer named Janis Ian and producing her controversial hit, "Society's Child." He shopped that song to 22 labels and was turned down by each. It wasn't until he played the song for his friend, Leonard Bernstein, who featured it on a television show, that the song took off and a new artist was born. Another friend cajoled Morton to drive out to The Action House in Island Park to hear a band known as The Pidgeons. The next day, he recorded the band under the new moniker "Vanilla Fudge" and a new genre was born, "The Long Island Sound". With a blend of heavy organ keyboards and gut-wrenching soul, "You Keep Me Hanging On" topped the charts. Later, Morton added his signature style to The New York Dolls with Too Much Too Soon and punk-glam was born.

Many artists and many classic albums received the Shadow Morton treatment, but more often than not the mercurial Morton removed his name from the project. Still, Morton was known for his ears and his ability to create a new sound as well as a hit record. Here are a few of the artists that received the Morton touch as they rose to stardom: The Rascals (getting them signed to Atlantic Records), Jimi Hendrix (Are You Experienced), The Who (The Kids Are Alright), The Blues Project, The New York Rock and Roll Ensemble (Michael Kamen), Mott The Hoople and Iron Butterfly (In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida).
Performances on YouTube .
http://www.limusichalloffame.org/lirock/shadow01.html

Run-DMC - All three members of Run-D.M.C. were natives of Hollis, Queens. Run (Joseph Simmons) was born on November 14, 1964. D.M.C. (Darryl McDaniels) was born on May 31, 1964. Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) was born on January 21, 1965.

In the early '80s, Run's brother Russell Simmons formed the hip-hop management company, Rush Productions. By the mid-80's, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin formed Def Jam Records. Russell encouraged his brother Joey and his friend Darryl to form a rap duo, which they did, taking the names 'Run' and 'D.M.C.' respectively. After they graduated from high school in 1982, they enlisted their friend Jason to scratch turntables. In 1983, Run-D.M.C. released their first single, 'It's Like That'/'Sucker M.C.'s'. Propelled by an unusual and aggressive sound and powerful, literate vocals, 'It's Like That' became a Top 20 R&B hit, as did their second single 'Hard Times'/'Jam Master Jay'. They released their first full-length album Run-D.M.C. in 1984. By the time of their second album, 1985's King of Rock, Run-D.M.C. had become one of the most popular and influential rap bands in America. Their 1986 album Raising Hell album broke down barriers between rap and rock, particularly due to their cover of Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way', recorded with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. They followed this up with 1987's Tougher Than Leather album, and with a film of the same name. Their 1989 album Back From Hell was their first album not to go platinum. Legal and personal problems caused a 4-year delay until Run-D.M.C.'s next release. In the interim, both Run and D.M.C. had become born-again Christians, which they touted on their new release, Down With the King. The title track became a Top Ten R&B hit, and the album went gold.

After a long break, Run-D.M.C. returned in 2000 with a new album, Crown Royal. In 2002, they released two greatest hits albums, and went on a successful tour with Aerosmith. Sadly, only weeks after the end of the tour, Jam Master Jay was murdered in a Queens studio. Run-D.M.C. was clearly one of the most important acts in hip-hop history. They were the rap band to star on MTV, the first to have both a platinum and a multi-platinum album, the first to receive a Grammy nomination, and the first to become a household name.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.
www.rundmcmusic.com
www.revrun.com

Neil Sedaka - He was born in Brooklyn on March 13, 1939. He first demonstrated musical aptitude in his second-grade choral class, and when his teacher sent a note home suggesting he take piano lessons, his mother got a part-time job in a department store for six months to pay for a second-hand upright. In 1947, he auditioned successfully for a piano scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School of Music's Preparatory Division for Children, which he began to attend on Saturdays. He also maintained an interest in popular music, and when he was 13, a neighbor heard him playing and introduced him to her 16-year-old son, Howard Greenfield, an aspiring poet and lyricist; the two began writing songs together. In high school, Sedaka formed a vocal group, the Tokens. After singing at local functions, they got an audition with a music publisher in Manhattan at the famed Brill Building. This, in turn, led to an audition with the head of a small label, Melba Records, which released a single containing two Sedaka/Greenfield compositions, "I Love My Baby" and "While I Dream," in 1956. Around the same time, another song written by Sedaka, "Never Again," was recorded by Dinah Washington for Mercury Records. Singer, songwriter, and pianist Neil Sedaka enjoyed two distinct periods of commercial success in two slightly different styles of pop music: first, as a teen pop star in the late '50s and early '60s, then as a singer of more mature pop/rock in the 1970s. In both phases, Sedaka, a classically trained pianist, composed the music for his own hits, and served as a songwriter for other artists, resulting in a string of hits year in and year out. He wrote eight U.S. Top Ten pop hits, including the chart-toppers "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," "Laughter in the Rain," and "Bad Blood." Over the years, his songs were recorded by a wide range of pop, rock, country, R&B, and jazz performers including ABBA, LaVern Baker, Shirley Bassey, Glen Campbell, the Carpenters, Nick Carter, Cher, Petula Clark, Patsy Cline, Rosemary Clooney, Sheryl Crow, Bobby Darin, Neil Diamond, Gloria Estefan, the 5th Dimension, the Four Seasons, Connie Francis, Crystal Gayle, Lesley Gore, the Happenings, Engelbert Humperdinck, Wanda Jackson, Jan & Dean, Tom Jones, Carole King, Earl Klugh, Peggy Lee, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Johnny Mathis, Clyde McPhatter, Maria Muldaur, the Monkees, Bernadette Peters, Wilson Pickett, Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, the Searchers, Sha Na Na, and Glenn Yarbrough, among many others. The most successful cover of one of his compositions was Captain & Tennille's recording of "Love Will Keep Us Together," charting at number one. To this day, Sedaka continues to compose, perform and tour.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.
www.neilsedaka.com

SUNY Stony Brook - The State University of New York campus at Stony Brook became a popular concert venue several years after it opened in 1962. In the fall of 1967, Sandy Pearlman, Alan Shapiro, Howie Klein, Mary Beth Olbrych, Moyssi and others who were active in the Student Activities Board began presenting concerts in different buildings on campus, starting with Soft White Underbelly, the group which later evolved into Blue Oyster Cult. The admission price was only fifty cents for student. Between 1967 and 1971, the Student Activities Board presented such rock legends as Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Janis Joplin, The Moody Blues (with guest Timothy Leary), Pink Floyd, and The Who. The Allman Brothers took up residence at Stony Brook in April of 1970, where they rehearsed and performed on campus in preparation for their now legendary stint at the Fillmore East. Other shows that year included Santana, B.B. King, Small Faces and the Grateful Dead, who performed four shows over the Halloween weekend. But the high point of the 1970 season was the May 1st outdoor concert on the Athletic Field featuring the Jefferson Airplane, which drew a crowd of close to 50,000 fans who came to celebrate the first Earth Day._At one time, Stony Brook was known as "The Fillmore East East". Fillmore owner Bill Graham was one of several New York area promotors with contractual clauses that prevented headliners from performing within a 50-mile radius of their venues. Long Islanders had the geographic good fortune to have Stony Brook sit 52 miles away from the Fillmore, which assured the campus its place in music history. The concerts continued through the '70s and beyond with appearances by: Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, The Band, Phish, Busta Rhymes, Hot Tuna, Miles Davis, The Ramones, The Psychedelic Furs, Peter Gabriel, U.K., King Crimson, Jerry Garcia, Jimmy Cliff, Frank Zappa, Judy Collins, Gil-Scott Heron, and many others. In 1978, an inaugural concert by Pat Metheny launched The Staller Center, a new venue featuring regular performances on campus._Stony Brook is the home of the world-renowned Emerson String Quartet, considered to be one of the best chamber ensembles in the world. They have won an unprecedented six Grammy Awards. In 2002, the Emerson joined Stony Brook as Quartet-in-Residence, coaching chamber music, teaching master classes and providing instrument instruction.
Audio Portrait
http://www.wusb.fm/concerts/

Stray Cats - In 1979, guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, along with Massapequa school friends Lee Rocker (born Leon Drucker) and Slim Jim Phantom (born James McDonnell) formed the rockabilly band, The Stray Cats. The group's style was based upon the sounds of Sun Records artists from the 50s - Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash - with a nod to the late Swing Era style of Bill Haley and the Comets. The Stray cats had little initial success in the New York music scene, and had to move to England before they saw any success at all within the nascent rockabilly revival there. The group had several hit singles in the U.K. and the U.S. during the early 1980s. After a gig in London, the Stray Cats met producer Dave Edmunds, well known as a roots rock enthusiast for his work with Rockpile and as a solo artist. Edmunds offered to work with the group, and they entered the studio to record their self-titled debut album, Stray Cats, released in England in 1981 on Arista Records. They were popular immediately, scoring three straight hits that year with "Runaway Boys," "Rock This Town," and "Stray Cat Strut." The band returned home, signed with EMI America, and, in 1982, released Built For Speed, a combination of their first two British albums. They had two number one singles on the charts, and charted again in 1983 with "(She's) Sexy+17" and the doo-wop styled "I Won't stand in Your Way".

The Stray Cats' first split was in 1984, but the band regroups periodically to record and tour with great success, and the individual members have enjoyed successful solo careers. Phantom and Rocker formed the trio Phantom, Rocker & Slick, and Brian Setzer has returned to his roots as the leader of the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.
www.straycats.com

Sam Taylor - Born in Mobile, AL on 10/25/34, Sam cut his teeth early in music, beginning singing gospel at age 3. His Long Island connection began in 1957, during his service in the Air Force. He was stationed at the Westhampton Beach AFB and was only a short haul from the blues mecca of the east end, Flanders, where the Blue Bird Inn was infamous, and nascent guitarist Sam 'Bluzman' Taylor learned the ropes. During much the same time, Sam was a championship boxer, so he learned other ropes, as well. After leaving the service in 1959, Sam lived in Riverhead. His first major pro gig was as Maxine Brown's band leader at the Apollo. The author of hundreds of songs, many of them hits which went gold, like "Do It 'Til You're Satisfied", performed by the BT Express, Sam's compositions have been covered by Freddie King, Son Seals, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jay and the Americans, Joey Dee, Maxine Brown and Joe Tex. Sam also was bandleader/guitarist for the likes of Big Joe Turner, the Isley Bros., Tracy Nelson, Otis Redding and Sam and Dave as well as being a noted vocalist with Joey Dee and the Starliters, the Drifters and the Rascals. That iconic whistle at the end of "Dock of the Bay" was provided by Sam, and he chose as his replacement in the Starlighters, a young guitarist named Jimmy James, later known as Jimi Hendrix.

Through the '70s, Taylor spent his days writing, producing, arranging and teaching, but the changes wrought by the Disco era pushed Sam off Long Island. He moved to California, and then to Tucson, where a supportive blues community helped his body and spirit heal. In the mid 90s, Taylor realized it was time to get back to his roots- his family and Long Island. Now a resident of Bay Shore, Bluzman has come back and is widely recognized as the Blues' elder statesman here. Since he has returned, Sam has released almost a dozen CDs including Blue Tears, Voice of the Blues and a live recording from his 2004 Riverhead Blues Fest set, Bluzman Back Home. A mentor of innumerable musicians striving to learn the blues, a teacher, a role model, the voice of the Blues on WUSB-FM's Blues With A Feeling radio show, Sam is a widely and prolifically recorded artist, an inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame, a gold record winning composer, a desired sideman and arranger and a high-profile artist at national and international blues festivals, renowned for his fiery gospel singing and stinging guitar.
www.bluzman.com

Twisted Sister - Founded in December 1972 by guitarist Jay Jay French, Twisted Sister was initially a glam rock cover band modeled after the New York Dolls. It was with the arrival of Dee Snider in early 1976 that the band found a true leader. Snider brought a strong Alice Cooper influence to the band, giving their by-then antiquated glam sound a welcome hardened edge. He also quickly developed into the band's dominant songwriter and, with new drummer Tony Petri in tow, Twisted Sister finally began making a name for themselves in and around the New York area. Their transformation from glam rock into metallic hard rockers was completed later that year with the arrival of ex-Dictators bass player Mark "the Animal" Mendoza. November 1979 saw their first single "I'll Never Grow up Now!," released on the band's own TSR label in early 1980, with another single, "Bad Boys of Rock 'n' Roll," following that summer. But for all their hard work, by 1981 the band had nothing to show except a growing collection of record company rejection slips.

Finally, independent Secret Records decided to take a chance on the group and, after cutting the four-track Ruff Cuts EP (initially released only in Britain), the group flew to England with new drummer A.J. Pero (ex-Cities) to record their first full-length album, Under the Blade, with famed UFO bassist Pete Way producing. The album became a surprise underground success and created enough of a buzz to attract giant Atlantic Records, which came calling with a major distribution contract - the final ingredient for Twisted Sister's assault on the charts over the next two years. 1983's You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll laid the groundwork for their success with their more polished production values and strong material, which garnered instant credibility with the metal crowd. Twisted Sister took advantage of this sympathetic musical climate to unleash their definitive statement, Stay Hungry. Digging deep into his pop and glam roots, Snider added new commercial appeal to the band's hard rock onslaught. And with such monster hits as "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" (with their hilariously tongue-in-cheek accompanying videos) leading the way to radio and MTV saturation, the album would exceed the multi-platinum barrier. In 2004, they released Still Hungry to mark their 20th anniversary.
Audio Portrait
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here.
www.twistedsister.com

Vanilla Fudge - Vanilla Fudge was one of the few American links between psychedelia and what soon became heavy metal. While the band did record original material, they were best known for their loud, heavy, slowed-down arrangements of contemporary pop songs, blowing them up to epic proportions and bathing them in a trippy, distorted haze. Originally, Vanilla Fudge was a blue-eyed soul cover band called the Electric Pigeons, who formed on Long Island in 1965. Organist Mark Stein, bassist Tim Bogert, and drummer Joey Brennan soon shortened their name to the Pigeons and added guitarist Vince Martell. They built a following by gigging extensively up and down the East Coast, and earned extra money by providing freelance in-concert backing for girl groups. In early 1966, the group recorded a set of eight demos that were released several years later as While the Whole World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge, credited to Mark Stein & the Pigeons.

Inspired by the Vagrants, another band on the club circuit led by future Mountain guitarist Leslie West, the Pigeons began to put more effort into re-imagining the arrangements of their cover songs. They got so elaborate that by the end of the year, drummer Brennan was replaced by the more technically skilled Carmine Appice. In early 1967, their manager convinced producer George "Shadow" Morton (who had handled the girl group the Shangri-Las and had since moved into protest folk) to catch their live act. Impressed by their heavy, hard rocking recasting of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On," Morton offered to record the song as a single; the results landed the group a deal with the Atlantic subsidiary Atco, which requested a name change. The band settled on Vanilla Fudge, after a favorite ice cream flavor. "You Keep Me Hangin' On" didn't perform as well as hoped, but the band toured extensively behind its covers-heavy, jam-oriented debut album Vanilla Fudge, which gradually expanded their fan base. Things started to pick up for the band in 1968: early in the year, they headlined the Fillmore West with the Steve Miller Band, performed "You Keep Me Hangin' On" on The Ed Sullivan Show, and released their second album, The Beat Goes On. The LP was a hit, climbing into the Top 20. That summer, Atco reissued "You Keep Me Hangin' On," and the second time around it climbed into the Top Ten. It was followed by Renaissance, one of Vanilla Fudge's best albums, which also hit the Top 20. The band supported it by touring with Jimi Hendrix, opening several dates on Cream's farewell tour, and late in the year touring again with the fledgling Led Zeppelin as their opening act.
Performances on YouTube Here, Here and Here
www.vanillafudge.com
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Leslie West - was born Leslie Weinstein on Oct 22, 1945 in Forest Hills, into a show business family (his uncle, Will Glickman, was a writer for the Jackie Gleason show.) Leslie West has gained fame the world over during his 30-plus year career as one of the most innovative and influential musicians in the history of rock music. He is most noted for his role as leader of the explosive hard rock trio, Mountain, which was named by VH-1 as one of the Top 100 Hard Rock Groups of all time. With Mountain, he climbed the heights of rock stardom on the strength of a unique, signature guitar sound and classic songs such as "Mississippi Queen", "Never In My Life" and "Theme From An Imaginary Western", and "Nantucket Sleighride" which are still staples of rock radio to this day. Leslie has earned the admiration of a long list of famous peers. During his career, he has recorded or played with a litany of rock icons, including Billy Joel, Van Halen, The Who, Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix to name just a few. In fact, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Richie Sambora have all cited Leslie as an important influence on their own music._Leslie's bold, expressive and unique guitar style is really a mirror of his own personality. His boundless creativity has often involved him in projects that take him outside his traditional roles of guitarist, singer and songwriter. In 1986, he acted alongside Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in the hit comedy film, The Money Pit and has lent his distinctive voice to the popular animated series, Beast Wars Transformers which ran for three seasons on the WB network beginning in 1996 before going into syndication. He has also contributed the theme music to the WB show, Mutant X. Leslie has long been a popular personality on the Howard Stern Radio Show and was Musical Director for the shock jock's FOX series, as well as for the late comedian Sam Kinison. Most recently, he lent his production and songwriting skills to an album by Atlantic Records' modern rock group, Clutch, and has released his own instructional guitar DVD, Big Phat Ass Guitar. Leslie West has been a creative force for over three decades and shows no sign of losing his ambition or his desire to continually reinvent himself. His ability to adapt his creative spirit to a diverse range of projects is a key ingredient in the longevity of this multi-faceted entertainer's success.
Performances on YouTube Here and Here.
www.mountaintheband.com