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.
20 inductees matching your filters
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 →Buffalo
Buffalo-born Ani DiFranco founded Righteous Babe Records at age 18 and released 20+ albums independently, becoming a cultural icon of the DIY music movement. Grammy...
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 →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 →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 →Rochester
With five Grammy wins including Classical Producer of the Year (twice), Rochester native Elaine Lee Martone is one of the most awarded classical music producers...
View Profile →Rochester
Rochester-born Lou Gramm was the iconic lead vocalist and co-writer for Foreigner, one of the best-selling rock bands of all time with over 80 million...
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 →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 →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 →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 →Rochester
Rochester native Mick Guzauski is one of the most decorated mixing engineers in Grammy history. His work on Daft Punk's Random Access Memories alone earned...
View Profile →Buffalo
Buffalo-born Rick James was a funk pioneer whose "Super Freak" became one of the most recognizable songs in music history. Born and raised on the...
View Profile →Cortland
One of the greatest heavy metal vocalists in history. Ronnie James Dio grew up in Cortland, NY, where he formed his first bands. He fronted...
View Profile →Rochester (adopted)
One of the most important Delta blues musicians ever and a direct influence on Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. Son House spent over 20 years...
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 →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 →Hamburg (near Buffalo)
Three-time Grammy winner Tom Hambridge grew up in the Buffalo suburbs and became one of the most awarded blues producers working today. Now Nashville-based, his...
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.