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.
13 inductees matching your filters
Albany
Cult-favorite Albany new wave band Blotto was one of the first acts to get major MTV airplay with their novelty hit "I Wanna Be a...
View Profile →Capital Region
Brooks Brown founded WEQX radio in 1984 and built it into the last fully independent alternative radio station in the United States. Rolling Stone named...
View Profile →Albany
One of the most critically acclaimed post-hardcore/punk bands of the 2010s-2020s, Drug Church formed in Albany and became a standard-bearer for intelligent, angular heavy music.
View Profile →Capital Region (Albany/Troy/Saratoga)
Greg Bell booked approximately 3,000 shows over 33 years as the Capital Region's preeminent independent concert promoter. He promoted more moe. shows than any other...
View Profile →Albany
The most important music journalist and advocate the Capital Region has ever produced. Greg Haymes wrote for the Times Union for 25 years, co-founded Nippertown.com,...
View Profile →Schenectady
Multi-instrumentalist Kishi Bashi blends indie pop with orchestral arrangements from his Schenectady base. His looping violin performances and genre-defying albums have earned him a devoted...
View Profile →Schenectady
Born and raised in Schenectady, Maria Brink is the frontwoman of Grammy-nominated metal band In This Moment. She brought theatrical, powerful heavy music to arena-level...
View Profile →Greenwich / Saratoga Springs
Electronic rock duo Phantogram formed in Greenwich, NY, near Saratoga Springs. With multiple Billboard hits including "Fall in Love" and "You Don't Get Me High...
View Profile →Fultonville
Sawyer Fredericks won The Voice Season 8 at just 16 years old, showcasing an authentic folk voice rooted in his Upstate New York upbringing near...
View Profile →Troy
Troy-born Sean Rowe possesses one of the most distinctive deep baritone voices in American folk music. His critically acclaimed songwriting and powerful live performances make...
View Profile →Albany
A major staple of the modern pop-punk scene, State Champs formed in Albany in 2010 and signed to Pure Noise Records. They represent the Capital...
View Profile →Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs rock band The Figgs became famous as the backing band for legendary English rocker Graham Parker. Their own power pop recordings earned them...
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.