Al Jardine is a founding member of the Beach Boys, as well as a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of a Lifetime Grammy. Distinguished… Continue readingAl Jardine

Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis is an acclaimed saxophonist and composer who was the architect of James Brown’s era-defining soul classics of the late 1960s, introducing the dynamic arrangements and rhythm… Continue readingAlfred “Pee Wee” Ellis

Singer/songwriter/guitarist. Bat McGrath has become an admired Nashville songsmith, writing for some of country’s biggest stars including Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd. His rise to fame began in the 1960s… Continue readingBat McGrath

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… Continue readingBlack Sheep

The colorful and celebrated radio personality has experienced immense success during an on-air career that has spanned nearly four decades. In 2021, Wease became the first-ever Rochester radio personality to… Continue readingBrother Wease (Alan Levin)

The multi-Grammy Award winning musicians are members of the alternative Christian rock band platinum-recording band Jars of Clay, which also crossed-over to a mainstream chart success in the 1990s. Jars… Continue readingCharlie Lowell & Matthew Odmark

Born and raised in Rochester, N.Y., Chet Catallo is a guitarist, composer, and producer who is a six-time Grammy nominee. A predominantly self-taught musician, his musical talent was evident at… Continue readingChet Catallo

Christine Lavin is a contemporary folk singer/songwriter/guitarist/humorist/recording artist based in New York City and Geneva, N.Y. who has been strumming and vocalizing her folksy way around thousands of venues across… Continue readingChristine Lavin

Don Potter was a singer/songwriter/guitarist/record producer. Said to be “the man who created the Judds’ sound,” Don has worked with a host of hit makers including Kenny Chesney, Reba McIntyre,… Continue readingDon Potter

Stunning Versatility and Broadway Star An award-winning actress, singer, dancer, and writer, Donna Lynne Champlin has built a dynamic career across television, film, and the Broadway stage. A Rochester native,… Continue readingDonna Lynne Champlin

Duke Jupiter is one of the most popular rock bands and recording artists to come out of Rochester — so popular they were banned from performing at city-sponsored events after… Continue readingDuke Jupiter

The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by philanthropist George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, as the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s… Continue readingEastman School of Music and Eastman Theatre

Son House was a Delta Blues singer/bottleneck guitar player, circa 1930s, rediscovered in Rochester in 1964. He’s a seminal figure in blues history having influenced generations of blues performers including… Continue readingEddie James “Son” House, Jr.

Ferdinand Jay Smith III (b. 1946) is an Emmy-nominated composer whose music is heard around the world on television networks. His expertise spans film and video animation, directing, writing, voiceover… Continue readingFerdinand Jay Smith III

The famed Rochester Red Wings organist has been entertaining fans at Red Wings games since 1977. Fred holds the title of longest-reigning sports organist in U.S. history! His musical background… Continue readingFred Costello

The Tony Award-winning choreographer not only revolutionized modern dance but also Broadway dance with his groundbreaking work on The Lion King. Critics have hailed Garth Fagan as “a trail blazer”… Continue readingGarth Fagan

Gary Lewis (b. July 31, 1936) topped the charts in the 1960s with his band, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, with eight gold singles and 17 Top 40 hits, plus… Continue readingGary Lewis

Gaspare “Gap” Mangione is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader, who was born and raised in Rochester. He has recorded ten solo albums appeared on 6 of Chucks and… Continue readingGaspare “Gap” Mangione

The Penny Arcade is one of the most revered music clubs in Rochester history, as well as one of the longest-running. Bon Jovi, Iggy Pop, and Joan Jett all played… Continue readingGreg Sullivan and The Penny Arcade

Henry Juszkiewicz (b. 1953) is chairman and CEO of The Gibson Guitar Corporation, which he acquired in 1986 with his business partners. He has taken the iconic American instrument company,… Continue readingHenry Juszkiewicz

Jack Allocco is an 11-time Emmy® Award-winning composer, conductor, and songwriter whose career spans television, film, and theater. He is the composer for Sony Pictures Television’s The Young and the… Continue readingJack Allocco

“Smiling Jack” Palvino had the top rated morning show in Rochester for nearly 20 years on WBBF. As Executive VP of the Lincoln Group, Jack and his partners acquired ownership… Continue readingJack Palvino

James Rado is an actor, playwright, and composer who is best known for his groundbreaking rock-musical Hair. He won the Grammy Award in 1969 for Best Score, alongside Hair co-creator… Continue readingJames Rado

Jeffrey Springut is a music promoter whose name is synonymous with his music club, the legendary Red Creek Inn in Henrietta, which he ran for three decades from 1970 to… Continue readingJeffrey Springut

Jennifer Cody is a triple-threat star of stage and screen, as an actor, singer, and dancer. She has performed in 14 Broadway productions and appears on seven Broadway cast albums.… Continue readingJennifer Cody

Joe Beard (b. Feb. 4, 1938) is Rochester’s legendary blues guitarist and vocalist. He has many times toured the United States as well as Europe and has sat in with… Continue readingJoe Beard

Joe Locke is a renowned vibraphonist who is heralded internationally as one of the major voices of his instrument, earning a top spot on Jazz Week album charts, the title… Continue readingJoe Locke

John Ellison has been making music for more than six decades, releasing his latest album in February 2024. He says he has written more than 1,000 songs, but yet is… Continue readingJohn Ellison

John Fossitt has been Bruno Mars’s keyboardist and live-show arranger for 13 years. He is also a solo artist and songwriter — presently contributing to Mars’s next album — and… Continue readingJohn Fossitt

John H. Beck (b. 1933) has been a member of the Eastman School of Music faculty since 1959. He received his bachelor’s degree (1955) and master’s degree (1962), as well… Continue readingJohn H. Beck

Johnny Vega is a singer/songwriter, international recording artist, and celebrated Salsa-music pioneer. It is said there is Salsa “before Johnny Vega and Salsa after Jonny Vega,” referring primarily to his… Continue readingJohnny Vega

Lewis Soloff (1944 to 2015) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer who was an integral member of Blood, Sweat & Tears and the band’s self-titled album that won the… Continue readingLewis Soloff

This Rochester band is celebrating its 50th anniversary of performing original roots music plus distinct versions of classic reggae songs. The three original members — Ron Stackman, Jim Schwarz, and… Continue readingMajestics

Whirlwind Music Distributors has kept the biggest rock tours and major events worldwide wired for 45 years — all from its headquarters in Greece, N.Y. The hometown company, founded and… Continue readingMichael Laiacona

Nathan “Mick” Guzauski is a multi Grammy®-winning mixing engineer and sound engineer who has been personally hand-selected by numerous artists to mix their songs and albums — including Michael Jackson,… Continue readingMick Guzauski

A Living Indigenous Tradition By honoring the Music of the Seneca Nation, the Rochester Music Hall of Fame acknowledges that the region’s musical heritage extends far beyond commercial stages —… Continue readingMusic of Seneca Nation

Nancy Kelly was born in Rochester, N.Y. and grew up in the suburb of Scottsville. She embraced music beginning at the age of four and studied piano, clarinet, drama, and… Continue readingNancy Kelly

Nick Nickson, DJ, “The Ole Professor” first on the air in Rochester at WARC in 1947 and then on WBBF until the mid ‘60s when he moved to the front… Continue readingNick Nickson

The Visual Voice of Jazz Beginning in the 1950s, Rochester Institute of Technology–educated photographer Paul Hoeffler documented the vibrant jazz scenes of Rochester as well as iconic venues in New… Continue readingPaul Hoeffler

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… Continue readingRecord Archive

Rick Beato is a social-media influencer with 4 million subscribers to his “Everything Music” YouTube Channel. The Guardian newspaper called him “the internet’s pre-eminent musical sage.” A CNN feature in… Continue readingRick Beato

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… Continue readingRochester Philharmonic Orchestra

The list of artists with whom Roy McCurdy has recorded or toured is a stunning “Who’s Who” — Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Herbie Hancock, Blood, Sweat… Continue readingRoy McCurdy

Samuel Adler (b. March 4, 1928) is the composer of more than 400 published works, including five operas, six symphonies, 12 concerti, nine string quartets, and five oratorios, all which… Continue readingSamuel Adler

Grammy-nominated Scott Mayo is a music producer, composer, music director and arranger, singer, saxophonist, flutist, and recording artist. He works across many genres and has been nominated for several Grammy… Continue readingScott Mayo

Marino was a revered concert producer, a prolific songwriter, and talented lead guitarist who performed and recorded with heavy-metal bands Anvil and Overkill. Marino passed away unexpectedly on New Year’s… Continue readingSebastian Marino

Born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in Rochester, Taye Diggs has built a career that seamlessly bridges Broadway, film, television, and recorded music. A graduate of Rochester’s School of… Continue readingTaye Diggs

The Campbell Brothers (active since 1997) are Chuck, Darick, Phil, and Phil’s son Carlton Campbell. They formed the Rochester-based Campbell Brothers in the 1990s and boldly swung the church doors… Continue readingThe Campbell Brothers

The Dady Brothers were a musical duo who performed professionally — and won the hearts of audiences and fans — for more than 40 years. The music of John and… Continue readingThe Dady Brothers

The House of Guitars® (aka The Great, Great House of Guitars and “the store that ate my brain”) is considered the world’s largest music store and for 50 years has… Continue readingThe House of Guitars

A Global Jazz Legacy Rooted In Western NY Pat, John, and Joe La Barbera grew up in Mt. Morris, New York, and became three of the most respected musicians in… Continue readingThe La Barbera Brothers

Clarissa Street’s Legendary Jazz Club One of the most significant jazz venues in mid-20th-century Rochester and a cultural centerpiece of the city’s historic Clarissa Street district in the Third Ward,… Continue readingThe Pythodd Room

The Rustix (active 1967 to 1972) was an R&B/blue-eyed soul band based in Rochester that was one of the first rock bands signed by Motown subsidiary Rare Earth Records. The… Continue readingThe Rustix

In a historic first, the Rochester Music Hall of Fame will also present its newly established “Local Legends” Induction Category to The Skycoasters, recognizing more than five decades of musical… Continue readingThe Skycoasters

Tony Levin (b. 1946) is a Boston native who started playing upright bass at age 10. He went on to study at Eastman School of Music, where he had the… Continue readingTony Levin

Gym Class Heroes is pop-punk and multi-platinum-selling band that was founded in 1997 in Geneva, N.Y. by rapper and front man Travie McCoy and drummer Matt McGinley — who met… Continue readingTravie McCoy and Gym Class Heroes

Tweet is a soulful vocalist and songwriter who has had chart-topping hits. She also has provided backing vocals on recordings for Missy Elliott, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and more. Tweet grew… Continue readingTweet (Charlene Keys)

Uncle Roger McCall (1951-2003) was a late-night DJ at WCMF radio station who for 30 years was affectionately known to his audience as “Uncle Roger.” He had the overnight shift… Continue readingUncle Roger McCall

WCMF-FM 96.5 is a classic rock Rochester radio station that marks its 50th birthday this year. A pioneer of nationwide stature, WCMF is credited with breaking several rock acts into… Continue readingWCMF-FM 96.5

WDKX radio station has been independently owned and operated since it first went on the air 40 years ago. In keeping with its Urban Contemporary format, founder Andrew A. Langston… Continue readingWDKX-FM 103.9

Wendy O. Williams (1949-1998) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress who was known as the “Queen of Shock Rock.” While remembered for her stage antics, she is also heralded… Continue readingWendy O. Williams

Will Hollis is the long-time music director and keyboardist for the Eagles, as well as music director and arranger for national tours with Shania Twain, Gwen Stefani, “America’s Got Talent,”… Continue readingWill Hollis

R&B band Wilmer & The Dukes (active 1957 to 1974) hit the national “Billboard Hot 100” in 1968 with the band’s first single “Give Me One More Chance,” an original… Continue readingWilmer & The Dukes