Upstate Music Hall of Fame

From Buffalo’s funk and punk scenes to Rochester’s Eastman School pipeline, from the Woodstock creative commune to Albany’s underground, Upstate New York has shaped American music in profound and often underrecognized ways.

The Upstate Music Hall of Fame celebrates the musicians, producers, promoters, managers, educators, and visionaries who made it happen — the people who didn’t just play music in Upstate New York, but who built the music world from here.

The Regions That Built American Music

Buffalo & Western New York

No Upstate city rivals Buffalo for sheer musical breadth. Rick James defined funk from the East Side. Ani DiFranco built the entire DIY independent label movement from her Buffalo apartment. The Goo Goo Dolls gave the world “Iris.” Cannibal Corpse became the best-selling death metal band of all time. Grover Washington Jr. invented smooth jazz. And in the 2020s, the Griselda collective put Buffalo back on the national hip-hop map. Harold Arlen — the man who wrote “Over the Rainbow” — was a Buffalo native.

Rochester & The Eastman School Pipeline

The Eastman School of Music is the single most important institutional pipeline for Upstate NY music talent. It trained Chuck Mangione, Steve Gadd, Ron Carter, Mick Guzauski, Mitch Miller, Angelo Badalamenti, and Maria Schneider. Lou Gramm of Foreigner grew up in Rochester. Cab Calloway was born there. Son House was rediscovered there in 1964. Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth and Brann Dailor of Mastodon are Rochester natives.

Woodstock & The Hudson Valley

When Albert Grossman moved to Woodstock in the 1960s and built Bearsville Studios, he created a creative ecosystem that attracted Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Todd Rundgren, and dozens of jazz legends. Levon Helm hosted the Midnight Ramble concerts from his barn until his death in 2012. Jack DeJohnette, Carla Bley, and Tony Levin still call the region home. And Alan Gerry saved the original Woodstock festival site from development by building Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Syracuse & Central New York

Jimmy Van Heusen — who wrote “Come Fly with Me” for Sinatra — was born in Syracuse. Ronnie James Dio grew up in nearby Cortland and formed his first bands there. Joey Belladonna of Anthrax hails from Oswego. Earth Crisis pioneered metalcore. And Joe Bonamassa, the world’s top-grossing blues artist, is a proud Utica native who opened for B.B. King at age 12.

The Capital Region

Albany and the Capital Region punch above their weight: Phantogram, State Champs, Drug Church, Maria Brink of In This Moment, MacArthur Fellow Vijay Iyer, and Voice winner Sawyer Fredericks all have roots here. Greg Haymes built the scene by writing about it for 30 years. Greg Bell booked 3,000 shows. And Brooks Brown built WEQX into the last fully independent alternative radio station in America.

The Finger Lakes

10,000 Maniacs formed in Jamestown. X Ambassadors came out of Ithaca. Orleans gave us “Still the One.” And the GrassRoots Festival in Trumansburg has been bringing communities together through music since 1991.

82 inductees

Know Someone We Missed?

The Upstate Music Hall of Fame is a living project. If you know of a musician, producer, promoter, or music industry figure from Upstate New York who should be recognized here, let us know.