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LI Hall inducts first class of rockers
from: Newsday.com
by Rafer Guzman, Newsday Staff Writer
With shout-outs to local spots from Huntington to Syosset to Levittown, a roster of musicians spanning generations and genres celebrated their one common trait last night: a connection to Long Island.
The event was the inaugural induction ceremony of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, a place that doesn't yet have a physical place to call home. Nevertheless, organizers held a star-studded gala at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts where rockers, folkies, jazz players and even classical musicians came together to accept awards or induct each other into the hall's Class of 2006.
The local version of Cleveland's more famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame did its best to bring a sense of glamor and respectability to a region often dismissed as a poor relative to Manhattan. Police cordoned off parts of Patchogue's Main Street while onlookers gathered around the red carpet hoping to catch sight of famous local inductees such as Dee Snider of Twisted Sister and, of course, Billy Joel. Attendees paid up to $495 per person for a VIP cocktail hour, a buffet dinner of filet mignon and the chance to catch their favorite rockers in action.
Inside the 1,200-seat theater, guests and musicians alike crowded together to watch the night's first act, Mountain, featuring Leslie West on guitar, Corky Laing on drums and bassist Richie Scarlet. The trio kicked off with a version of its most famous song, "Mississippi Queen," then segued into the dark, bluesy "Nantucket Sleigh Ride." West ended the brief show with a Jimi Hendrix-style take on "The Star-Spangled Banner."
After being introduced by Alec Baldwin, final inductee Joel summed up the region in a speech that touched on everyone from Albert Einstein to Joey Buttafuoco, calling Long Island "a clash of cultures," and an "island of extremes."
The hall's very first inductee was JOAN JETT, partly because she was scheduled to play a concert later last night in Manhattan. Presenter Bob Buchmann, program director of Q104.3, called her "the original punk rocker."
"I'm nervous and quite out of my element," Jett said, holding the treble-clef-shaped award after receiving a standing ovation. In her signature leather pants with a lace-up fly, Jett recalled moving to Long Beach in 1979, rehearsing in Baldwin and recording her best-known hit, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," at the Syosset studio Kingdom Sound.
She also thanked local stations such as WBAB and WLIR for playing her music at a time when most major labels had rejected her. "I really want you to know that I'm truly honored and humbled by this award."
"American Idol" finalist Kevin Covais, of Levittown, appeared in a tuxedo to induct the late Perry Como, whom he referred to as "Mr. C."
"This is an event I know he would have liked to be at," said Como's grandson Peter, accepting the award. "He raised my father, my aunt and my uncle on Sands Point, Long Island."
Toward the night's end, local songwriter Jimmy Webb inducted Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge, then joined the entire band -- with more than a dozen people on stage -- for a brassy version of Webb's "The Worst That Could Happen."
Other inductees included Vanilla Fudge, Mose Allison, Twisted Sister, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and Harry Chapin.
The ceremony ran at least two hours over schedule, pushing back plans for an all-star jam and a performance by local band Nine Days.
As inductee Gary U.S. Bonds noted: "Man, it's been a long night."
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