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.
18 inductees matching your filters
Sullivan County
Alan Gerry purchased the original Woodstock festival site in 1996 and invested $100-150 million to build Bethel Woods Center for the Arts — a world-class...
View Profile →Woodstock / Bearsville
The single most important music industry figure in Upstate New York history. Albert Grossman managed Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, The Band, and Peter Paul &...
View Profile →Woodstock
Raised in Woodstock as the daughter of Levon Helm, Amy Helm carries on the rich folk and Americana tradition of the region. Her music draws...
View Profile →Woodstock (resident 1965-1972)
Bob Dylan's Woodstock years (1965-1972) were among his most creatively fertile. The Basement Tapes, recorded with The Band at Big Pink in Saugerties, became one...
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 →Woodstock
Multi-instrumentalist Cindy Cashdollar grew up on a dairy farm in Woodstock and became one of the most sought-after slide guitar and Dobro players in American...
View Profile →Pawling (Hudson Valley)
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Daryl Hall chose to build an intimate restaurant and music club in Pawling, a small Dutchess County town. Daryl's...
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 →Woodstock (resident)
The Lovin' Spoonful founder became a longtime Woodstock resident. John Sebastian's impromptu performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival is one of the event's most memorable...
View Profile →New Paltz / Poughkeepsie area
The most important studio designer in music history has deep Upstate NY ties. John Storyk designed Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios at age 22 and...
View Profile →Woodstock
The Band's drummer and vocalist made Woodstock his permanent home, hosting the beloved Midnight Ramble concerts from his barn studio. His three-time Grammy-winning solo career...
View Profile →Bethel, Sullivan County
Max Yasgur rented his 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, Sullivan County for the 1969 Woodstock Festival after other sites fell through. Without Yasgur saying yes,...
View Profile →Woodstock
Michael Lang co-created the most famous music festival in history — the 1969 Woodstock Festival. His vision defined the idea of the American music festival...
View Profile →Port Chester / Woodstock
Peter Shapiro owns the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester and manages the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock. A bridge between NYC and Upstate, his venues directly...
View Profile →Woodstock / Saugerties
The Band lived and created their masterworks in Woodstock and Saugerties, recording Music from Big Pink in a house in West Saugerties. Levon Helm remained...
View Profile →Woodstock
Todd Rundgren lived in Woodstock for decades, recording his landmark solo albums and producing classic records at Bearsville Studios — including Meat Loaf's Bat Out...
View Profile →Woodstock area
Legendary bassist for King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, Tony Levin has been based in the Woodstock/Hudson Valley area for decades. His Chapman Stick playing and...
View Profile →Woodstock (resident)
Northern Irish legend Van Morrison was a Woodstock resident who recorded key albums in the area. His time in Upstate New York contributed to some...
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.