What You Need To Know About the 2016 Class of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame

Long Island has long been a hotbed for music talent, producing some of the most well-known artists in the world.

Since 2004, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame has shed a spotlight on some of the brightest stars that have called Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk County home. Every two years, the hall holds a ceremony inducting a handful of Long Island artists who have made a lasting impact on the area’s music scene, as well as music as a whole. Previous inductees have included Debbie Gibson, Pat Benatar, Tony Bennett, Blue Oyster Cult, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand and Simon & Garfunkel, as well as Taylor Dayne, Dream Theater, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Jett, Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Ramones, Lou Reed, Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, ¾ of Kiss and Twisted Sister, among many others.

During a press conference on Tuesday, September 13, the LIMHoF announced their 2016 class of inductees. Included on this list are hip-hop artist Big Daddy Kane, film composer Carter Burwell, music executive Charles Koppelman, singer/songwriter Garland Jeffreys, songwriters Santo & Johnny, guitarist Steve Vai, bandleader Vince Giordano and music venue the Westbury Music Fair. The special Harry Chapin Award will be going to Steven Van Zandt.

With so much talent being inducted this year, here are some reasons why these artists (and venue) are worthy of such an honor.

1.       Big Daddy Kane: Kane has had a long and innovative career in the hip-hop game. Before Kanye was making all those artistic fashion and stage choices, Big Daddy Kane was there to do it first. According to the LIMHoF website, he played two sold-out shows at the Apollo to an audience of only women, as well as incorporated elaborate theatrics and costumes to his shows. He’s also had a many hits and worked with the biggest names in the hip-hop game, including LIMHoF alumn Public Enemy.

2.       Carter Burwell: Burwell has scored many classic films, including ‘Fargo,’ ‘Gods and Monsters,’ ‘Being John Malkovich,’ ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and ‘Twilight.’

3.       Charles Koppelman: Working behind the scenes of the music industry for more than five decades, Koppelman has been a key player in music publishing and entertainment law. He is also responsible for signing artists like Wilson Phillips and Vanilla Ice to his SBK Records label, and for aiding in the success of artists such as Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, the Four Tops, Cher, Michael Bolton, New Kids on the Block, Eric B. & Rakim and more.

4.       Garland Jeffreys: For more than four decades, Garland Jeffreys has been releasing socially conscious rock music. His single “Wild in the Streets” became a youth anthem in the mid-1970s. The singer has also seen somewhat of a renaissance in the last five years, releasing his first album stateside in 19 years, ‘The King of In Between,’ in 2011.

5.       Santo & Johnny: You may not know it, but Santo & Johnny have recorded some of your favorite instrumental classics. They had a huge hit in the late 1950s with a song called “Sleep Walk,” and in 1973, they recorded a cover of the theme to ‘The Godfather,’ which earned them a gold record in Italy.

6.       Steve Vai: Vai is best known as one of the greatest guitarists in the world. He has worked with innumerable famous musicians, such as Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Mary J. Blige and Ozzy Osbourne, as well as released eight studio albums on his own (he is currently working on number 9).

7.       Vince Giordano: A multi-instrumentalist on his own, Giordano has been working with his band, the Nighthawks, since the mid-1970s. He’s played at galas and events all over New York, as well as composed music for and appeared in television shows such as ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and ‘Grey Gardens,’ and movies such as ‘Revolutionary Road,’ ‘The Aviator,’ and more. The band still plays out weekly in Manhattan.

8.       Westbury Music Fair: Now known as the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, the venue started out as the Westbury Music Fair, a venue meant to bring Broadway to the island. Over the years it became a more permanent fixture of the local touring music scene, holding performances from top acts such as Jack Benny, Judy Garland, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett and more.

9.       Steven Van Zandt: Though he’s best known as a guitarist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Van Zandt has had a pretty big music career outside of that. He’s produced and written countless songs for big name artists, worked on television shows and movies, started his own record label and created an internationally syndicated radio program. ‘Little Steven’s Underground Garage’ has helped to launch the music careers of many unknown artists.

This year’s induction ceremony will take place at The Space at Westbury on November 3. Tickets for the event are available now.

Find music from many of this year’s nominees, as well as from previous Long Island Music Hall of Fame inductees at Vinyl Bay 777! We’re helping make music history with one of the largest collections of new and used vinyl, CDs, cassettes and more on Long Island!