The fifth induction ceremony for the Long Island Hall of Fame was held on Thursday night at The Paramount in Huntington. There were seven inductees, making up an eclectic mix of musicians, singers, songwriters, producers and record label executives.
Among the inductees was the Billy Joel Band. Billy Joel - who is from Long Island - credited his backup band for helping put “Long Island sound” on the map.
The Billy Joel Band performed for the first time in 25 years on Thursday. Unfortunately, Billy Joel himself did not join the band on stage. However, band members Richie Cannata, Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors and Doug Stegmeyer were happy to put on their show and accept their recognition.
Darryl McDaniels, aka “DMC” of the hip-hop group Run DMC, also performed at the ceremony. Although McDaniels was already inducted into the Hall of Fame, he appeared at the event to accept the 2014 Harry Chapin Award.
Rapper Kurtis Blow was also among the 2014 inductees, along with producer Clive Davis, concert promoter Ron Delsener, singer Debbie Gibson, lyricist Gerry Goffin and producer Steve Thompson.
“We are humbled to have such support from these industry giants who have contributed so much to the mud history of Long Island,” said Jeff James, Chairman of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony takes place every two years. Past inductees have included Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, Lou Reed and Blue Oyster Cult. All inductees were born, raised or spent a significant portion of their career residing in Long Island.
According the Long Island Music Hall of Fame website, Long Islanders may be in store for an actual museum in the near future which would serve as the home for the hall of fame.
[Source: Long Island Music Hall of Fame]