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Roll call for homegrown icons
In its first year, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame sings the praises of everyone from Billy Joel to George Gershwin
from: Newsday.com
by GLENN GAMBOA
STAFF WRITER; Kevin Amorim
There are two types of Long Islanders: Those who are proud of where they live and those who aren't.
"There is an inherent inferiority complex that Long Islanders have, which I actually find kind of charming," explains Hicksville native and Oyster Bay resident Billy Joel, who has always proudly pointed out that he is from Long Island. "I think that's part of our identity that we're the suburban cousins of the city folks."
And, of course, there are the Long Islanders who cling to their city roots, eager to keep their Suffolk County addresses on the down low, trying to avoid being seen as suburban cousins instead of urbane New Yorkers.
Richard L'Hommedieu wants to serve both with the Long Island Music Hall of Fame he dreams of building, giving the first group validation for its feelings and the second a great deal to chew on. And Sunday night at the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts, with the help of some of the area's most famous residents - including Joel, JOAN JETT, Alec Baldwin, "American Idol" finalist Kevin Covais and Twisted Sister's Dee Snider - the dream L'Hommedieu and dozens of others have been feverishly working toward for three years takes a giant step forward with the first Long Island Music Hall of Fame Induction Awards.
"It's all a matter of perception," says hall chairman L'Hommedieu. "Long Island is never looked at in terms of its musical heritage. We're seen as the land of sports bars and cover bands. But there is something great here. This history is going to get lost if we don't preserve it."
Sunday, the Hall of Fame will induct 29 artists and organizations - from George M. Cohan and George Gershwin to Cyndi Lauper and Run-D.M.C. Next year's class of 21, which includes artists ranging from Count Basie and Barbra Streisand to Public Enemy and Mariah Carey, has also been set. The ceremony will include performances from inductees (Jett is expected to perform early so she can return to Manhattan, where she is set to play Irving Plaza) and from current notable Long Island artists, including Nine Days, as well as tributes to the careers of the inductees.
"Our intention is to put on an Oscar-quality showcase to show the world that there has been a wellspring of talent here for more than 100 years," L'Hommedieu says. "We want to change the mindset of people about Long Island and the musicians who come from here."
That change can only come with increased information, and the Hall of Fame hopes to offer that. L'Hommedieu, a Long Island Rail Road electrical worker from Smithtown who was previously the owner of Long Island Entertainment magazine, plans to do his part. Wind him up, and Long Island music history comes flying out.
He will tell you Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive" was recorded at Commack Arena. He'll say John Coltrane wrote "A Love Supreme" in Dix Hills. And Iron Butterfly recorded the historic "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida" in Hempstead. "I can get on my soapbox and really get going," he says, laughing, adding that the Island's musical legacy spans all genres, not just rock. "But great moments happen here. We want to tell people, 'Look what we've got.' We've got something really valuable."
A peach of an inspiration
The idea for honoring Long Island's musical history came to L'Hommedieu while driving through Georgia to play the Dogwood Festival with his group The Monday Night Basement Blues Band in 2003.
He stopped at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon and was impressed by the way the museum honored its musicians and their contributions to society. He thought someone must have already thought of this idea for Long Island, but no one had. What surprised L'Hommedieu even more was that there was no centralized place to go to find out about Long Island's musical contributions and that searching out information was hard and would only become harder, as places connected to that history get torn down and people with direct knowledge pass away.
Another problem, L'Hommedieu has found, is that not all Long Island artists identify themselves as being from Long Island. "In the music industry, there is a stigma to being from Long Island," he says. "Take Nine Days, for example. They were told they needed to say they were from New York."
Part of the reason for that, some in the industry say, is because New York has a larger population than Long Island, giving bands a larger built-in audience. Another reason, though, is the industry perception that Long Island doesn't seem welcoming to music, and, at times - as the fiasco surrounding the cancellation of the ambitious Field Day festival in 2003 showed - can be hostile.
Nevertheless, the current music scene shows the area's influence continues to grow. Rockville Centre's Taking Back Sunday not only has one of the year's top-selling rock albums, but it's filling arenas around the country, along with its Warner Bros. labelmate Head Automatica. Merrick's Brand New is set to release its long-awaited major-label debut next month, while Baldwin's Straylight Run will release its new album early next year. Dix Hills' Ryan Star made a name for himself on the CBS reality series "Rock Star: Supernova," which led to the release of two albums for him last month. Up-and-comers Bayside, Action Action and The Sleeping have all signed to the respected indie label Victory Records, while Permanent Me, Nightmare of You and Bandcamp have landed major-label deals.
It's no secret that Taking Back Sunday singer Adam Lazzara moved from North Carolina to Long Island specifically to be part of the area's music scene. And he's certainly not the last to make that move.
"The Long Island music industry is a viable asset," L'Hommedieu says. "We have the beaches, and we make the most of them as an asset with tourism. Having a strong music scene - whether it is the punk scene or Tin Pan Alley - is important and could be central and very significant to this area."
As vital as music can be to the area's economy, it may be more important to the psyche of its residents. "It's very valuable for Long Islanders to realize that this is a cultural center and not just a satellite of the New York cultural scene," says Stephen Belth, executive director of the Long Island Philharmonic, which will be inducted into the hall tonight. "We're very proud to be part of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame as a charter inductee. We were founded 28 years ago by Harry Chapin, maestro Christopher Keane and many of Long Island's business leaders. These musical icons saw the important need for classical music and its permanent value for Long Island's communities."
Inductee Gary U.S. Bonds, who lives in Wheatley Heights, says he has always wondered why Long Island never had a music hall of fame. "I go all over, and it seems like every place, little places like Lenawee, Mich., will have a hall of fame for like one guy who passed through there once," he says, joking. "It's about time Long Island gets one. There's a lot of talent here. It feels good to be part of that."
Solidifying LI's history
Robert Santelli, artistic director for the Experience Music Project museum in Seattle and former director of education of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, says a music hall of fame can have a major impact on an area.
"It solidifies a region's history," Santelli says. "It also becomes a springboard for younger people when they learn about the artists in their area that came before them. Long Island's no slouch when it comes to music. But a Hall of Fame is only as good as its programs. There may be a big event once a year, but its reputation will be made on all the other days, on school programs, on public programs, on outreach to the community. It can show how the music helped define the area and its people, show how an area fits into the world around it. There's a story to be told there."
L'Hommedieu says the Hall of Fame is already telling that story in various exhibits and with Sunday's ceremony, which will be videotaped and which he hopes will be aired on public television once the necessary legal arrangements are made.
The group plans to soon announce a location for an incubator facility, as well as a scholarship program for Long Island students. L'Hommedieu says the Hall of Fame will start small before building up to a larger facility that would be open daily to visitors.
The group is also excited about creating some Long Island music history of its own with the induction ceremonies.
"Almost every artist involved wants to perform," L'Hommedieu says. "So we're going to set up three drumsets and plenty of amps on the stage and see what happens. It could be mind-boggling. There could be jam sessions that will be mind-boggling, jamming that we may never see again. It's one more way to show the world that Long Island is this great place to create music."
WHO'S ELIGIBLE FOR HALL OF FAME?
Eligibility for the Long Island Music Hall of Fame is pretty straightforward, says hall chairman Richard L'Hommedieu.
"Anyone who is born, raised or spent a significant part of their career on Long Island is eligible," he says, adding that the hall defines Long Island like mapmakers, not politicians.
His group considers anyone from Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties eligible for the Long Island hall.
"I've never had to cross a trench or a river to get into Queens," L'Hommedieu says. "There's a pretty big pothole on the Belt Parkway, but that doesn't count."
AND THE INDUCTEES ARE...
James D'Aquisto - The late guitar-maker built and sold expensive archtop axes from his Farmingdale shop.
George M. Cohan - He's a Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Harry Chapin - If "Cat's in the Cradle" doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you just might not be human.
Sam Ash Sr. - He built the largest family-owned chain of musical instrument stores in the country.
Perry Como - The king of the Christmas album.
John Coltrane - The jazz- man called Dix Hills home until his death in 1967.
George Gershwin - He gave "Porgy and Bess" its musical legs.
Stony Brook University's music department - Um, the Staller Center is nice.
Long Island Philharmonic - David Wiley and his gang rock out in their own special way.
Twisted Sister - Ladies, hide your makeup kits.
Stray Cats - Rumble in Patchogue tonight!
Run-D.M.C. - The Hollis rap trio did no wrong on its first three albums.
Vanilla Fudge - Nice version of "You Keep Me Hangin' On."
Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss of KISS - They can swap makeup tips with Dee Snider.
Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge - Oldies but goodies.
Leslie West - Ain't no mountain high enough.
Gary U.S. Bonds - The Beatles opened for him in '63!
Billy Joel - No way! Is he really from Long Island?
Cyndi Lauper - Five million copies of "She's So Unusual" (Portrait) sold.
Neil Sedaka - "Breaking Up is Hard to Do"? Depends on who you're breaking up with.
Sam Taylor - Tune into bluesman Taylor's Friday radio show from 9 to 11 a.m. on WUSB/90.1 FM.
Edward "Little Buster" Forehand - Buster and the Soul Brothers will give you a case of the modern blues.
Richie Havens - From Bed- Stuy to Woodstock to the Stephen Talkhouse every other weekend, it seems.
Mose Allison - Pianists, too, get the blues.
JOAN JETT - Long Beach's favorite rocker chick.
Tony Bennett - Some would say he left his heart in Astoria.
George "Shadow" Morton - The producer was in the shadows when he helped the Shangri-Las.
Marian McPartland - Congrats to McPartland, but let's take this time to plug East Ender Judy Carmichael.
Little Anthony and the Imperials - Imperial-style doo wop.
WHEN&WHERE The Long Island Music Hall of Fame Induction Awards start at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 E. Main St., Patchogue. Tickets are $175-$495, call 631-207-1313 or visit patchoguetheater.com/buytickets.htm.
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