Buffalo Music Hall of Fame announces 41st annual induction ceremony

2-day celebration honoring Buffalo Music Hall of Fame’s newest inductees

Press Release

The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame announced its two-day celebration welcoming the newest members of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.

On Wednesday, Oct. 4, 14 inductees will officially enter the Hall of Fame at a formal induction banquet at Seneca One Tower located at 1 Seneca St., Buffalo. The induction celebration begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.

On Thursday, Oct. 5, the celebration continues on stage with A “Star Studded” Class of 2023 concert performance at The Cove Seafood and Banquets, 4701 Transit Road, Depew. The inductee concert performance begins at 7 p.m.

BMHOF President Anthony Casuccio, Vice President Tom Lorentz, members of the board of trustees, along with guest hosts Mercedes Wilson (WKBW-TV Channel 7) and Kenny Thomasula (BMHOF Class of 2014) will be in attendance to welcome the Class of 2023.

BMHOF Executive Board Member Carolyn Moser will serve as chairperson of the 2023 induction ceremony event.

The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 includes:

•Sabu Adeyola – This Buffalo-born titan of jazz bass studied under Charles Mingus and went on to record and tour with the Ahmad Jamal Trio, one of the most-celebrated small combos in jazz history.

•Chuck Anderson – As founder and owner of Imagine Event Center and Imagine Recording Studios, he was instrumental in the musical revitalization of Buffalo’s Black Rock community.

•Peggy Farrell – An iconic Buffalo jazz vocalist, she raised a family as a single mother, before coming back to music as the partner of Hall of Fame pianist Al Tinney.

•William “Pete” Hankinson – Musician, composer, producer, arranger, promoter, teacher, author and inventor, he was one of Western New York’s most varied and successful guitar practitioners.

•Wally Jedermann – A classically trained pianist who became one of WNY’s most-accomplished jazz players, he is still very active in a variety of jazz jams around the Western New York area.

•Dr. David Luce – The pioneering scientist and inventor who was the president of Buffalo-based Moog Music, and who created the first commercially viable polyphonic synthesizer, the Polymoog.

•Mercury Rev – This indie-rock band, formed in Buffalo, gained wide critical and commercial acclaim with major-label and movie-soundtrack releases in a unique combination of styles from psychedelic to Americana.

•The Vibratos – One of Buffalo’s original rock ‘n’ Roll groups, led by brothers Dick and Jack Terranova, and featuring Hall of Fame singer Cory Wells and drummer Gary Mallaber.

The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Legacy Class of 2023 includes:

•Bob Armstrong – A singer and multi-instrumentalist who parlayed his talents into success that spanned the golden age of radio and the early days of television.

•Rose E. Bampton – A versatile opera singer who spent her childhood in Buffalo and went on to sing lead roles as both a soprano and mezzo-soprano on the Metropolitan Opera stage.

•Charles Caci (Bobby Milano) – A singer, actor and record producer who left Buffalo for Los Angeles in the mid-’50s, to pursue a national career in nightclubs and films.

•The Modernaires – A Big-Band-era vocal group from Lafayette High School, most famous for performing internationally alongside the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

•Fred Saia – A successful booking agent and manager who promoted some of the biggest Buffalo-based rock acts of the ’70s, including Buffalo Music Hall of Fame member The Road.

•John Sedola – A nationally known saxophonist who became one of Western New York’s most-acclaimed instrumental instructors and music store proprietors.

The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation entity created for the cultural enhancement and enrichment of Buffalo and Western New York through the region's musicians and music history. The organization was established in 1983.

The BMHOF's mission is to honor and protect the diverse cultural music heritage of WNY through preservation, education, scholarship and performance. In doing so, the BMHOF has inducted over 360 members that includes outstanding musicians, performers, innovators and non-performers who have made special contributions to WNY music.