Celebrating the musicians, builders, and visionaries who made Upstate New York a force in American music.
82 Inductees Across 7 Regions
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.
No Upstate city rivals Buffalo for sheer musical breadth. Rick James defined funk from the East Side. Ani DiFranco built the 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. Griselda put Buffalo back on the national hip-hop map. And Harold Arlen — the man who wrote "Over the Rainbow" — was a Buffalo native.
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.
When Albert Grossman moved to Woodstock in the 1960s and built Bearsville Studios, he created an 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. Alan Gerry saved the Woodstock festival site by building Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.
Jimmy Van Heusen — who wrote "Come Fly with Me" for Sinatra — was born in Syracuse. Ronnie James Dio grew up in nearby Cortland. Joey Belladonna of Anthrax hails from Oswego. Earth Crisis pioneered metalcore. Joe Bonamassa, the world's top-grossing blues artist, opened for B.B. King at age 12 in Utica.
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. Brooks Brown built WEQX into the last independent alternative radio station in America.
10,000 Maniacs formed in Jamestown. X Ambassadors came out of Ithaca. Orleans gave us "Still the One." Gym Class Heroes launched from Geneva. And the GrassRoots Festival in Trumansburg has been bringing communities together through music since 1991.
12 inductees matching your filters
Rochester (born)
Born in Rochester in 1907, Cab Calloway became one of the most famous entertainers of the swing era. His "Minnie the Moocher" and the "hi-de-ho"...
View Profile →Woodstock (resident)
Groundbreaking jazz composer and pianist Carla Bley was a longtime Woodstock resident. Her large-scale compositions and fearless experimental approach made her one of the most...
View Profile →Rochester
Rochester-born Chuck Mangione was a jazz crossover star whose "Feels So Good" became one of the biggest jazz-pop hits of the 1970s. An Eastman School...
View Profile →Buffalo
Born in Buffalo, Grover Washington Jr. is arguably the father of smooth jazz. His album Winelight is one of the best-selling jazz albums in history,...
View Profile →Buffalo
Buffalo-born Harold Arlen composed over 500 songs including "Over the Rainbow," "Stormy Weather," and "Get Happy." He is considered one of the greatest American songwriters...
View Profile →Woodstock (resident)
One of the greatest jazz drummers alive, Jack DeJohnette has been a Woodstock resident for decades. His work with Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, and countless...
View Profile →Syracuse
Syracuse-born Jimmy Van Heusen wrote over 1,000 songs, with approximately 50 becoming standards. He won four Academy Awards and was the primary songwriter for Frank...
View Profile →Rochester (Eastman School)
Grammy-winning jazz composer and bandleader Maria Schneider attended the Eastman School of Music. She pioneered direct-to-fan album distribution via ArtistShare and leads one of the...
View Profile →Rochester (Eastman School)
The most recorded bassist in jazz history with over 2,200 sessions. Ron Carter attended the Eastman School of Music and played in the Miles Davis...
View Profile →Buffalo
One of the most commercially successful jazz fusion groups ever, Spyro Gyra formed in Buffalo's club scene in the 1970s. They sold 10 million albums,...
View Profile →Rochester (Irondequoit)
Born in Rochester and trained at the Eastman School of Music, Steve Gadd is widely considered one of the greatest session drummers in music history....
View Profile →Albany
MacArthur Fellow and multiple Grammy-nominated pianist Vijay Iyer is one of the most important jazz musicians alive. His Capital Region roots connect him to a...
View Profile →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, we want to hear from you.