The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame announced this year's inductees. Most of the winners appeared at the Buffalo History Museum Wednesday morning. The 2014 class includes VH1 President and Buffalo State graduate Tom Calederon.
"This year's class of 2104 of inductees is absolutely extraordinary, and I mean that wholeheartedly," said Anthony Casuccio, president of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.
Well-known Guitar player Geno McManus, who served as music director for a Japanese Beatles tribute band, said he was surprised.
"Because you always move forward, you never think about being honored for something. This is what we do. It's a vocational thing, so to be surprised is a good thing," McManus told reporters.
Big band jazz leader and former Sweet Home High School music teacher Dr. Joe Baudo.
"Well I was very surprised about it," said Baudo. "I'm very happy to be in it because I'm a big promoter of music."
and Buffalo News rock music critic and Jeff Miers also made this year's list.
"To realize that maybe you've added to the Buffalo music scene in someway -- it's humbling and it's an honor to be included. This town has so many amazing musicians, and to be a part of that is very cool," said Miers.
All the winners will officially be inducted at ceremony on October 2nd at the 32nd annual Buffalo Music Hall of Fame to be held at Classics V Banquet Center in Amherst.
The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame was established in 1983. "To date, more than 260 people have been inducted," said Casuccio.
Here is the entire list of this year's inductees:
Robin Adair, a singer, songwriter, recording artist and actress who appeared on Broadway, in television and film as well as radio, used her teen idol status and philanthropic interests as an ambassador in The Civil Rights Movement campaign. Robin joined forces with a Capital Records subsidiary, Powertree Records’ president Curtis Reginald Lewis, one of the first black composers and lyricists to own a music publishing company in the 1950s.
Dr. Joe Baudo, big band leader and keyboardist. The former Sweet Home High School music teacher has played a major role in keeping big band jazz alive in Western New York, directing a band playing weekly for the last several years and also recording four albums of big band and jazz.
Joe Bompczyk, one of Buffalo’s original punk rockers. A giant of a man, he was guitarist and songwriter for the Enemies and later recorded on Mercury Records with The Restless, a supergroup of Buffalo new wave era rockers.
Tom Calderone, president of the VH1. He started his media/music career in Buffalo as program director of Buffalo State College’s WBNY-FM and went onto lead one of the nation’s most popular music media companies.
Mike Campagna, a songwriter and guitarist for stars such as Chaka Khan, Maxine Nightengale and Jennifer Holiday. Campagna has gone on to record with avantgarde rock outfit Psychic TV and more recently has done jazz recordings and provided music (along with fellow Hall of Famer Gary Mallabar) for the Dan Patrick national radio sports talk show.
Anne Fadale, the matriarch of what has been called “Buffalo’s First Family of Jazz.” She was the house pianist for WBEN radio and TV (known as “Aunt Annie”), studied with the legendary Oscar Peterson and was the regular solo pianist at E.B. Green’s in the Hyatt Regency for several years before her death in 1990.
Gary Keller, a nationally known saxophone player and teacher at the University of Miami. He was a founder of the Miami Saxophone Quartet, has recorded multiple CDs and has toured/recorded/performed artists such as Frank Sinatra, Woody Herman, Dr. Lonnie Smith and JacoPastorious.
Geno McManus, guitarslinger for hire. He has built up a following in Japan (18 tours so far), managed and served as music director for a Japanese Beatles tribute band that played at Madison Square Garden, done backing vocals for Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), and recorded on a wide variety of CDs and records in Western New York.
Bob Meier, the founder of the Hitmen Horns and a musical force in his own right. A trombonist, Meier first recorded in 1970 and has been on dozens of records and CDs since.
Jeff Miers, the pop music critic for The Buffalo News since 2002. He is a critic who has both reported on the Buffalo area’s music scene and participated in it as guitarist in bands such as the Tails and the Dollywatchers.
David Musial, a prolific producer and performer. Musial, a Buffalo-area native, has performed electronic music with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, designed studios, created positive music programs for schools, recorded LPs and performed in a variety of venues.
Joe Parisi, trumpet player and teacher. In addition to a long career as music teacher at Buffalo Public Schools, he has performed with jazz and big band outfits for decades.
Marty Peters, performer, producer, writer, inventor. After performing through his high school years at most of Buffalo’s bigger venues, he went to Colorado, where he ran his own studio, performed for 20-plus years, was a long-time writer for Recording Magazine and invented the Slider Instrument Support System. It has become widely used by guitarists with back problems.
Jack Prybylski, jazz saxophonist and teacher. A long-time teacher in the Niagara Falls schools, he has also recorded numerous albums with Them Jazzbeards and several of his own smooth jazz recordings.
Theresa Quinn, keyboard player, singer and music director. She can regularly be found performing and arranging for musical theater, playing worship music at churches or performing jazz or any of several other genres. She’s even a former member of the Gordon Highlanders marching group.
Spoon & the Houserockers, blues rockers. Elmo Weatherspoon’s Houserockers combo served as a launching ground for any number of performers – including Jay Beckenstein of SpyroGyra – before Spoon’s death in 1975.
Kenny Thomasula, singer, percussionist. He has sung and played percussion with bands from National Trust in the 1970s through Breakthru today, plus done vocals on innumerable radio commercials.
Denton, Cottier & Daniels, piano and organ store. This store traces its history to 1827, when James D. Sheppard first displayed his instruments at the old Eagle Tavern on Main Street in Buffalo. It has been on Dodge Road in Getzville since 1999.
