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Buffalo Music Hall of Fame announces Class of 2014 inductees

by jmaloni

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Thu, Aug 14th 2014 10:40 am

The president of VH1, a legendary punk rocker, a guitar-picking rock critic and a bevy of horn players will be among the Class of 2014 inductees entering the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.

The inductees were announced during a special press conference Wednesday at The Buffalo History Museum.

In addition, 1992 Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inductee and Western New York favorite Joe Head was on hand to entertain attendees with a special acoustic performance leading up to the big announcement.

"I am very excited for this year's induction gala," said Anthony Casuccio, president of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. "We are proud to showcase such an amazing class (of) outstanding musical talent from the Western New York area."

This year's inductees include:

•Robin Adair, a singer, songwriter, recording artist and actress who appeared on Broadway, in television, film and radio. She used her teen idol status and philanthropic interests as an ambassador in the Civil Rights movement campaign. Adair joined forces with 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, a "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 past several years and recording four albums.

•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 on to 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 avant-garde 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, recorded multiple CDs, and has toured/recorded/performed with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Woody Herman, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Jaco Pastorious.

•Geno McManus, a 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, offered 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 writer 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, a trumpet player and teacher. In addition to a long career as music teacher at Lake Shore High School, he has performed with jazz and "Big Band" outfits for decades.

•Marty Peters, a performer, producer, writer and 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, which become widely used by guitarists with back problems.

•Jack Prybylski, a jazz saxophonist and teacher. A long-time teacher in Niagara Falls schools, he has recorded numerous albums with Them Jazzbeards and several of his own smooth jazz recordings.

•Theresa Quinn, a 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 and 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 a number of performers - including Jay Beckenstein of Spyro Gyra - before Spoon's death in 1975.

•Kenny Thomasula, a singer and 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.

The inductees will be formally honored at the 32nd Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Gala Thursday, Oct. 2, at Classics V Banquet Center, 2425 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst. WBBZ-TV's Kim Piazza will serve as the official emcee of this year's event.

Buffalo Music Hall of Fame board member Greg Hennessey is serving as the chairman of this year's event. Advance tickets ($20, early rate special until Sept. 1; $25 after that date) will be available via www.buffalomusic.org.

The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Inc. is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation created for the cultural enhancement and enrichment of Buffalo and Western New York through the region's musicians and music history. It was established in 1983. The BMHOF's mission is to honor and protect the area's diverse cultural music heritage through preservation, education, scholarship and performance. In doing so, the BMHOF has inducted more than 245 members, including outstanding musicians, performers, innovators and non-performers who have made special contributions to area music.

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