The Rochester Music Hall of Fame has announced three inductees of the Class of 2025. The Hall of Fame, which celebrates 68 inductees to date, will announce more inductees in February in advance of its spring concert and ceremony.
2025 Inductees
- Black Sheep: Popular rock band that recorded for labels Chrysalis and Capitol Records in the 1970s, toured with Kiss and other major acts, and launched the music careers of its band members — including Lou Gramm of Foreigner.
- Record Archive: The music “archive” retail store is a tourist destination that celebrates all genres and formats of music as well as its 50th anniversary in 2025. The owners were instrumental in the creation of national Record Store Day.
- Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra: Founded a century ago by George Eastman, the orchestra entertains and educates the Rochester community with more than 200 programs each year, presented by esteemed musicians and conductors.
About the concert and ceremony
The 12th annual Whirlwind Rochester Music Hall of Fame concert and ceremony will take the stage Sunday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Tickets for the ceremony and performance are available through the Eastman Theatre box office and via RochesterMusic.org.
To be announced this winter:
- The remaining inductees of the Class of 2025
- Recipients of The Ned Corman Educators Award, which is given annually to two music educators. The award is named for Ned Corman, who led music programs at Penfield schools for 26 years and founded The Commission Project that connected musicians with schools to bolster music education
- The Douglas Lowry Award, granted via an audition process to graduating high school seniors who will be studying music in college, named for the late dean of the Eastman School of Music.
- Special music guests joining the celebration to honor of our inductees
About the Rochester Music Hall of Fame
The Rochester Music Hall of Fame celebrates Rochester’s rich musical culture and the people who have made our region a mecca for musical excellence with performances and educational efforts throughout the year, in addition to the annual induction concert and ceremony. The volunteer board of the non-profit Hall of Fame — of which most members are musicians themselves — have modeled this event after world-class music awards shows like the Kennedy Center Honors, the Grammy® Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“Rochester has a rich and diverse musical heritage and we are proud to foster and celebrate that through the Rochester Music Hall of Fame,” said Jack Whittier, president of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame Board of Directors. Learn more at RochesterMusic.org.
ABOUT THE 2025 INDUCTEES
Black Sheep
Black Sheep was a popular band in the mid 1970s, playing local clubs like the Penny Arcade and many high school gymnasiums for dances. But the band’s talents secured attention and Black Sheep was soon signed by two labels. First with Chrysalis, as the label’s first artist in the United States, and then Capitol Records. And it is legend here in Rochester and the world of rock that the famed lead singer of Black Sheep was Louis Grammatico, more famously known as Lou Gramm.
Black Sheep recorded a single in 1974 and then two albums in 1975 and supported those albums by performing as the opening act for Aerosmith, Peter Frampton, Hall & Oates, Todd Rundgren, Ted Nugent, and Blue Oyster Cult. Capitol Records put Black Sheep on tour with Kiss, but their Boston date on the “Kiss Alive!” tour was their last — since the band’s equipment was destroyed enroute home to Rochester in an accident on an icy Thruway.
The bandmates’ parents were unable to bail them out financially and the label did not step up with support to buy new instruments and equipment. Instead Black Sheep was replaced on the Kiss tour. Soon after Mick Jones of Spooky Tooth came calling on the guy with the stellar pipes, Lou Gramm, to join his new band, and the Black Sheep bandmates encouraged Lou to audition
The rest is history, Lou reaching incredible heights with Foreigner and the talented members of Black Sheep each forging new musical career paths. In October Gramm was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band Foreigner.
The past members of Black Sheep being inducted at the April concert and ceremony will be Gramm, Don Mancuso (man-COO-so), Larry Crozier, Mike Bonafede (bon-uh-FEE-dee), Ron Rocco, and Bruce Turgon (TER-gen/hard G). Gramm was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and with the 2025 induction will be the first to be inducted twice.
The bond among the bandmates remains strong, and Black Sheep has reunited for live shows three times in the last two decades. Their next reunion will be the Hall of Fame concert and ceremony at Eastman Theatre on April 13.
Record Archive
Record Archive has been a music and entertainment destination in Rochester since 1975.
Marking its 50th anniversary — per the famed jingle, as “the place to go!” — Record Archive houses the largest vinyl record collection in the Northeast in its 13,000-square-foot store, featuring the latest music releases on CD and vinyl alongside vintage vinyl and other formats.
The colorful store has become a tourist destination for its music offerings but also its unique gifts and toys, vintage clothing and furniture, t-shirts and hoodies, souvenirs, thousands of movies, vintage equipment, and more. Shoppers can sip and shop, since Record Archive is the first record store in the Northeast to have a beer and wine license. This also enhances the Backroom Lounge that is a popular spot for weddings, parties, special events, and performances, with a dedicated stage for free live music events.
Richard Storms founded the Record Archive as a flea market both and then opened stores on Mt. Hope and East avenues, before settling into the current treasure-trove location at 33 1/3 Rockford Avenue in Rochester. He is sought-after for his immense music knowledge, which he cultivated while DJing a jazz show on WVOR and securing a 1920s victrola with records when working with antiques in his mid 20s
Storms estimates there are more than 1 million items at Record Archive, a number that rivals museums. He said their mission is in their name, which is to be a repository for all music. Alayna Alderman joined the Archive 40 years ago in 1985 as office manager and has been heralded as a retail and music visionary. Within nine years she was a co-owner and now is also vice president. Through active work with the Coalition of Music Stores (CIMS), Record Archive leaders are among the founders of national Record Store Day, and, in turn, influencers in the resurgence of vinyl. Alderman currently serves on the CIMS board of directors.
Together Storms and Alderman were awarded the Independent Spirit Award in 2019 by the Music Business Assoc. for the success of Record Archive. The onstage award announcement included, “Thanks to their undying dedication, Record Archive has stood the test of time to become a must-see music landmark for music fans and serious collectors alike.”
A musical artist to be announced will perform in honor of Record Archive at the induction concert.
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has been an artistic cornerstone of Rochester since its founding in 1922 by Kodak founder and philanthropist George Eastman … who envisioned an orchestra that would invest in its community and develop Rochester into “a truly musical city.”
In the century since its first performance in 1923, the orchestra has achieved global recognition, recorded its own discography, and in 2020 won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. The RPO presents about 150 concerts and broadcasts each year, serving up to 170,000 audience members through ticketed events, education and community engagement activities, as well concerts in schools and community centers throughout the region.
Fulfilling George Eastman’s mission that all Rochester residents should experience musical learning throughout their lives, the RPO became one of the first orchestras in the country to place an emphasis lifelong musical engagement for the entire community. In 1970 the orchestra expanded to provide educational opportunities to local students in grades 8 through 12, creating the celebrated Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
The RPO named Andreas Delfs music director in 2021 and Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik is now in his 31st season with the RPO, where he has earned during his tenure a national reputation for excellence in pops programming. The RPO will perform at the induction ceremony.