The Long Island Music Hall of Fame has announced the addition of Kevin Covais, contestant on the fifth season of American Idol, to its lineup of presenters for their Sunday, October 15, 2006 First Annual Induction Gala at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 East Main Street in Patchogue.

Kevin Covais was born in 1989 and raised in Levittown, New York. He was a junior at Island Trees High School during his Idol run, and will be a senior in the fall of 2006. Kevin is also a former student at Island Trees Middle School. On March 9, 2006, he made it into the top 12 of American Idol, which is the finalist round. Covais has stated that Brian McKnight and American Idol Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson are favorite singers of his. In the future, he plans to pursue a career in singing, acting or journalism. More about him at http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season5/kevin_covais/.

Tickets for the October 15 Gala are available at http://www.limusichalloffame.org, http://www.patchoguetheatre.com - 631-207-1313 or http://www.clicknprint.com/ - 877-772-5425.

Other artists scheduled to be inducted and possibly perform as of October 10 include Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge, Billy Joel, Marian McPartland, Gary U.S. Bonds, Twisted Sister, "Little Anthony" Gourdine, Leslie West and Mountain, Mose Allison, Joan Jett, Peter Criss of KISS, the Long Island Philharmonic, members of Vanilla Fudge and legendary producer George "Shadow" Morton, with more artists to be confirmed. Jen Chapin, representing the Harry Chapin family, will also perform, as will the band Nine Days. The families of George Gershwin, George M. Cohan and James (Jimmy) D'Aquisto will also be in attendance.

Other 2006 inductees include Sam Ash, Sr., Perry Como, John Coltrane, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Run-DMC, Cyndi Lauper, Neil Sedaka, Sam Taylor, Edward "Little Buster" Forehand, Richie Havens and Tony Bennett. For a complete list of inductees, please visit http://www.limusichalloffame.org/inductees/06inductees.html.

Presenters scheduled to appear include Paul Shaffer, Alec Baldwin, CJ Ramone, Peter Tork, Jackie Martling, the Alessi Brothers, Joe Bonamassa, Roger Earl (Foghat), the legendary Jimmy Webb, Johnny Farina (Santo & Johnny) and Randy Jackson, with more to be confirmed.

Sponsors for the October 15 Gala include J. D'Addario and Co., Edge Electronics, Pace's Steak House, Clare Rose, Inc., Whole Foods, Suffolk County National Bank, Frank & Camille's Fine Pianos, The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, Lighthouse Harley-Davidson, Concert Security Services, Radisson Hotel - MacArthur Airport, and Rogers Tuxedos. Participating radio station sponsors are WBAB, WRCN, B-103, K-JOY, WHLI, Island 94.3, Love 96.1, Q104.3, WALK and WUSB.

The Long Island Music Hall of Fame 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 Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties, 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. The Long Island Music Hall of Fame sponsors the Long Island Sound Award, traveling educational exhibits and is working to create a permanent home for the story of the Island's musical heritage.

For more information about the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, please visit their website at http://limusichalloffame.org/. For other information, contact James Faith Entertainment at 631-331-0808 - jfaith@optonline.net.