On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame (RMHF), we are saddened to hear of the passing of Chuck Brucato, a member of the RMHF Class of 2016. He is the third inductee we have lost in the past eight months, ironically all named Charles or Chuck, the others being Charles Strouse (5/15/25) and Chuck Mangione (7/22/25).
While maybe not a household name like his namesakes Mangione and Strouse, everyone in the Rochester area is very familiar with his work. I would even venture to say almost everyone heard Chuck Brucato’s music more times than the other two. Maybe you haven’t heard his band from the late 1960s – early 1970s, the Rustix. Their blue-eyed soul sound captured the interest of Motown Records and led to them being signed to a record deal on Motown’s subsidiary label, Rare Earth Records. Their biggest hits like “Come On People” and “Can’t You Hear the Music Play” found their way onto the Billboard Top 200 charts back then.
But you surely have heard Chuck’s music hundreds of times since then. After his tenure with The Rustix, Chuck pivoted and began composing music for commercial jingles, which he did for over 40 years for both local and national companies and broadcasts. Every Rochesterian has heard commercials for Tom Wahl’s, Bill Gray’s, Sea Breeze, Rochester Colonial and Charlotte Appliance. They are so ingrained in our community that you could probably sing them all. Have you heard, “Sooner or later, everybody dines at Jines”? Yep, that’s Chuck’s work too. He also wrote jingles for most of the car dealerships in the area, the list could go on and on.
Commercial jingles, TV or movie theme music, it is real music, performed by outstanding musicians and written by talented composers. In many respects, it’s super challenging work. Think about it, a hit song you used to listen to on radio and now listen to on the streaming music service you favor is 3-5 minutes long. Something in that 3-5 minutes has to be appealing, catchy or memorable to the listener. In a 30 second commercial, the jingle is less than 10 seconds long. The composer has one chance to write something people will like and remember. Chuck was a master at it,
In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, guardian angel Clarence tells George Bailey that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. I think every time we hear a commercial for Rochester Colonial, Bill Gray’s or the countless other companies Chuck made memorable through his work, we will think of Chuck Brucato and know he is looking down on us and thrilled that his music evokes a smile from us.