FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
February 7, 2014
Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame announces
2014 inductees, two-day event
PAWTUCKET – The
Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame (RIMHOF) held a
press conference on Friday, February 7,
announcing its 2014 inductees. The press
conference took place in the RIMHOF Museum space
located at Hope Artiste Village, 999 Main St.,
Pawtucket.
Many members of
the RIMHOF Board of Directors as well as Michael
"Tunes" Antunes (Beaver Brown), Gerry Granahan,
and Mac Odom (Roomful of Blues), all of the
Class of 2012, and Steve Smith, from the Class
of 2013, were on hand to welcome several of the
nine new inductees into the Hall of Fame.
The R.I. Music
Hall of Fame's nine 2014 inductees are: Tavares,
Duke Robillard, Cheryl Wheeler, Paul Gonsalves,
The Castaleers, The Mark II (Winston Cogswell &
Ray Peterson), Freddie Scott, Francis Madeira,
and Randy Hien.
2014 inductees
in attendance at the press conference were Duke
Robillard, Winston Cogswell and Ray Peterson,
Ralph and Perry “Tiny” Tavares, George Smith and
Dell Padgett, of The Castaleers, as well as
Betty Ann Kearney, of the Rhode Island
Philharmonic Orchestra, attending on behalf of
Francis Madeira.
It was also
announced that this year's induction ceremony
and concert event has expanded to two days, May
3 and May 4, and will take place at two separate
locations. Saturday's May 3 evening concert
featuring Tavares as well as a tribute to
Freddie Scott led by Rhode Island's own Mac Odom
will take place at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, 79
Washington St., Providence. The 2014 RIMHOF
Induction Ceremony and Concert is set for
Sunday, May 4, at The Met and Hall of Fame
itself, both located within the Hope Artiste
Village complex. Sunday's afternoon event will
include the unveiling of all nine 2014 inductee
exhibits as well as performances by Cheryl
Wheeler, Duke Robillard, the Mark II and a
tribute to Paul Gonsalves led by world renowned
saxophonist Dan Moretti.
Tickets for the
Saturday, May 3 concert event at Lupo's are
$20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door ($35.00
for Gold Circle seating.) Tickets for Sunday's
May 4 event at The Met are $20.00 in advance and
$25.00 at the door. The unveiling of the
inductee exhibits is free and open to the
public; a ticket will be required for entrance
to the concert in the Met. Tickets can be
purchased at www.rhodeislandmusichalloffame.com
starting February 25.
The Rhode
Island Music Hall of Fame, formed in 2011, is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating,
honoring, and preserving the legacy of Rhode
Island musicians, educators and industry
professionals who have made significant
contributions to both the national and Rhode
Island music scene. The Hall of Fame's inaugural
inductees in 2012 were John Cafferty & the
Beaver Brown Band, Roomful of Blues, Dave
McKenna, Eileen Farrell, Oliver Shaw, Ken Lyon,
Anders & Poncia, and Gerry Granahan. 2013
inductees were Steve Smith & The Nakeds, The
Cowsills, Paul Geremia, Eddie Zack & The Hayloft
Jamboree, Bobby Hackett, Jimmie Crane, Bill
Flanagan, Sissieretta Jones, and George M.
Cohan.
At last year's
sold out induction/concert event, the public saw
nine displays unveiled honoring the inductees in
the museum space located in the hallways of Hope
Artiste Village. This year's induction ceremony
on Sunday, May 4, will see nine more displays
unveiled celebrating the 2014 inductees and
bringing the total to 26 inductee exhibits in
just three years. Eventually, the museum will
hold more than 100 displays as well as assorted
Rhode Island music history memorabilia and
interactive components for visitors to enjoy.
All proceeds
from RIMHOF's annual induction events go toward
creating the museum displays, acquiring
recordings and memorabilia, and digitizing that
collection for permanent online access for
future generations. All organizational work has
been donated by members of the Board Of
Directors and a staff of volunteers.
"As the
organization grows," chairman Robert Billington
says, "the Hall of Fame will be committed to
developing programs and services aimed at
promoting and strengthening Rhode Island's
current and future music scene and ensuring that
music continues to play an important role in the
lives of all Rhode Islanders. An example of this
is the Hall of Fame's Tune In & Tune Up musician
health awareness initiative and its Unity
Concerts event which truly grabbed the attention
of Rhode Island's music community."
The Music Hall
of Fame initiative," says Rick Bellaire, vice
chair of RIMHOF, "provides a great opportunity
to not only acknowledge Rhode Island's musical
greats and celebrate their achievements, but to
finally have an organization whose primary goal
is to promote and preserve Rhode Island's rich
musical heritage in all its forms. With actual
exhibit space, coupled with our online archive,
we have in place the tools to curate and
showcase the best of Rhode Island's musical
artistry."
Rhode Island
Music Hall of Fame
999 Main Street, #100
Pawtucket, RI 02860
For press
release questions or bio info contact Russell
Gusetti at
rgusetti@gmail.com
For inductee
interviews and questions about the music
archive, contact Rick Bellaire at 401-751-5351
or at
mederick1@verizon.net
For general
information regarding the Rhode Island Music
Hall of Fame, call 401-225-8860 or contact Dr.
Robert Billington at 401-724-2200 or at
bvri@aol.com.