Long Island, NY - The Long Island Music Hall of Fame has announced the appointment of Sam M. Ash, Senior Vice President of Sam Ash Music as Chair of its newly formed Music Advisory Board. This board will bring together the top New York area music industry professionals and representatives of the music industry's manufacturing and retail businesses who will work together with the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in its ongoing preservation of Long Island's music heritage through public education, recognition and celebration of this rich history.

Sam M. Ash is the Senior Vice President of Sam Ash Music and the grandson of legendary founder Sam Ash, who opened the first Sam Ash Music store in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1924. 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. Currently, there are 48 Sam Ash retail stores in 16 states, a mail order/catalog division, and manufacturing divisions such as Samson and Hartke which have made Sam Ash a leader in the nation's music industry. Sam Ash Music has always had a reputation for quality that attracts the music industry's top recording artists, many of whom - including Sir Elton John, members of the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Bruce Springsteen and members of the E Street Band, Bette Midler, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder - frequent the company's New York metropolitan area outlets.

In addition to providing musicians with the tools of their trade, Sam Ash supports the local music scene in its markets by teaming up with organizations such as LIMHOF, radio stations and promoters to sponsor concerts and special events. Visit them online at www.samashmusic.com

Long Island Music Hall of Fame Board Chair Richard L'Hommedieu said of this appointment, "Mr. Ash is highly respected among the music industry retail and manufacturing corporations. We are extremely proud and honored to have him leading this very important Advisory Board."

The Long Island Music Hall of Fame (LIMHOF) is a 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island's musical heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which defines Long Island geographically rather than politically, as Brooklyn to Montauk Point, was created as a place to inspire in each person the desire to explore and celebrate music in all its forms and to be a place where the music community will find the support, resources and leadership necessary to aid them in that exploration. LIMHOF sponsors the Long Island Sound Award, traveling educational exhibits and is working to create a permanent home for the story of Long Island's musical heritage.

They will be presenting the first Annual Long Island Music Hall of Fame Induction Gala on October 15, 2006 at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 East Main Street in Patchogue. For more information about the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, please visit their website at www.limusichalloffame.org/.

For press photos or other information, contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-586-3433 or jamesarts@worldnet.att.net.