There are several regional music hall’s of fame in New York State, including Rochester Music Hall.
The board of directors of the RMHF is extremely diverse and includes Scott Gudell, a judge of 7 Virtual Jazz Club’s Contest.
NEWS RELEASE
March 4, 2024
Rochester Music Hall of Fame announces 2024 inductees: Rick Beato, Jennifer Cody, John Ellison, Charlie Lowell, Scott Mayo, Matthew Odmark, and Johnny Vega
11th induction ceremony is May 5 at Eastman Theatre
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Music Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2024
inductees today. The Hall of Fame celebrates 61 inductees to date and this year marks three
new genres never before represented among inductees — social media influencer/YouTuber,
Christian rock, and Latin.
2024 Inductees
• Rick Beato, YouTube star/social media influencer, music producer, multi-instrumentalist
• Jennifer Cody, Broadway and Disney-film star
• John Ellison, vocalist and songwriter, including the classic “Some Kind of Wonderful”
• Charlie Lowell, keyboardist, and Matthew Odmark, guitarist, of Grammy-winning
Christian alternative-rock band Jars of Clay
• Scott Mayo, Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter, saxophonist, and flutist, who has
works with John Legend, Oleta Adams, Sergio Mendes, and Earth, Wind, & Fire
• Johnny Vega, singer/songwriter, international recording artist, Salsa-music pioneer
During a press event this morning, board members of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame (RMHF)
unveiled photos as the inductee names were announced and their music legacies shared.
The 11th induction ceremony of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame will take the stage Sunday,
May 5 at 7 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. Tickets for the May 5 ceremony and
performance are on sale now at the Eastman Theatre box office and online at EastmanTheatre.org.
The Rochester Music Hall of Fame celebrates and preserves the legacy of music of Rochester natives or music professionals who spent their formative years in Rochester. The all-volunteer board of the non-profit Hall of Fame — of which most members are musicians themselves — have modeled this event after world-class music awards shows like the Kennedy Center Honors, the Grammy® Awards, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“Rochester has a rich and diverse musical heritage and we are proud to foster and celebrate that
through the Rochester Music Hall of Fame,” said Jack Whittier, president of the Rochester Music
Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
New this year: The Ned Corman Educators Award
This new award, to be given annually to two music educators, is named for Ned Corman, who
led music programs at Penfield schools for 26 years and founded The Commission Project,
which for 14 years connected musicians with schools to bolster music education. The inaugural
recipients are:
• Bill Tiberio, instrument music teacher with Fairport High School for 28 years and on the
faculty of Eastman Community Music School and Ithaca College
• Johnny Cummings (1904-1989), leader of Monroe County Parks Band and numerous
school bands and taught music at Webster, Williamson, Canandaigua, and Sodus schools
ABOUT THE 2024 INDUCTEES
Rick Beato (bee-AH-toe)
Rick Beato is a social-media influencer with 4 million subscribers to his “Everything Music”
YouTube Channel. The Guardian newspaper called him “the internet’s pre-eminent musical sage.” A CNN feature in February 2024 called his videos “compulsively watchable.”
Also an accomplished musician and music producer, Beato is an unlikely YouTube star, who is
now sought out by some of the biggest names in music for his educated, relaxed, and informative
interviews, including Sting and Brian May of Queen. He goes deep but he doesn’t use a script.
Beato’s live stage performances are continually sold out.
Beato launched his YouTube channel believing that “Nobody is gonna watch an old, whitehaired guy on YouTube.” His fan base grew quickly and soon proved him wrong. His mostwatched videos include the “Top Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time” and “The Top 20 Greatest
Vocal Solos.”
His popularity is a combination of content, delivery, style, and his knowledge as both an expert
and a fan. Beato’s YouTube work showcases that he is a “consummate teacher,” using the internet as his classroom and platform. The Fairport native grew up in a family of musicians and music lovers. He has said his channel allows him to share with others the rich musical background was fortunate to be raised with. Beato went on to earn a master’s degree in jazz guitar and has taught jazz studies at Ithaca College. When working as a music producer, with bands like Shinedown, Beato ultimately produced more than 750 recordings and co-wrote the no. 1 country song “Carolina.”
Rick Beato will be joining us in person at the induction ceremony
Jennifer Cody (COE-dee)
Jennifer Cody is a triple-threat star of stage and screen, as an actor, singer, and dancer. She has
performed in 14 Broadway productions and appears on seven Broadway cast albums. Born in Greece, N.Y. and graduating from Henrietta schools, her first national tour was Gypsy followed by a leading role in the national tour and Broadway production of Cats. Other Broadway credits include Shrek the Musical, Pajama Game, Seussical, Urinetown, and Grease, plus The Wild Party Off-Broadway and A Christmas Story at Madison Square Garden. While performing in Cats she met her husband, Broadway star Hunter Foster. Cody created one of the most beloved Disney princesses, the dramatic Charlotte Le Boeuf, in the animated musical film The Princess and the Frog — for which her vocal talents earned her an Annie Award for “Vocal Acting in a Featured Production.” Her stage work has earned her a Kevin Kline Award and Drama Desk League nomination. Other screen credits include Phineas and Ferb, Robot and Monster, Disney Comics in Motion, Mickey Mouse Mixed up Adventures, Law & Order, and Blue Bloods.
Jennifer will perform live at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony
John Ellison of the Soul Bothers Six
John Ellison has been making music for more than six decades, releasing his latest album in February 2024. He says he has written more than 1,000 songs, but yet is proud to continue celebrating his most recognizable song — “Some Kind of Wonderful.”
As a songwriter and lead singer Rochester-based band Soul Brothers Six, “Some Kind of Wonderful” recorded for Atlantic Records “Some Kind of Wonderful,” hitting no. 91 on the Top 100 in 1967. Two years later South Brothers Six would disband, but that song has had several lives over the last 57 years, beginning with Grand Funk Railroad covering the single in 1974 and hitting no. 3 on the Billboard charts. “Some Kind of Wonderful” has gone on to be covered by more than 70 artists, including Rod Steward, Joss Stone, and Huey Lewis & The News. Huey’s recording hit no. 7 on the Billboard charts.
The song is now certified platinum. When a new manager was moving the band to Philadelphia in 1967, Ellison’s girlfriend at the time bid him farewell and handed him the lunch she packed him. His final words to here were, “You’re some kind of wonderful.” On the car ride to Philly, he was inspired and wrote the hit song. “Some Kind of Wonderful” earned a BMI Special Citation of Achievement Award because the
song has been performed more than 4 million times by various artists.
John Ellison will perform live at the May 5th ceremony.
Charlie Lowell and Matthew Odmark of Jars of Clay
(LOW-uhl and ODE-mark)
The multi-Grammy Award winning musicians are members of the alternative Christian rock band platinum-recording band Jars of Clay, which also crossed-over to a mainstream chart
success in the 1990s. Jars of Clay is heralded as one of the most well-known and successful
bands to come out of the Christian music scene.
The band also earned GMA Dove Awards and BMI Awards and has music featured in several hit
movies and television shows, with Lowell on keys and Odmark on guitar, as well as secondary
vocals and harmonies.
Lowell and Odmark were childhood friends who attended Rochester Catholic schools together
and graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School.
In 2001 Odmark won the Gibson Guitar Award for Best Acoustic Guitarist, considered the
“Oscars” of the guitar world. The three guitarists Odmark beat out were Beck, Bon Jovi, and Bob
Dylan.Charlie Lowell and Matthew Odmark will perform live at the induction ceremony.
Scott Mayo (MAY-oh)
Grammy-nominated Scott Mayo is a music producer, composer, music director and arranger,
singer, saxophonist, flutist, and recording artist. He works across many genres and has been
nominated for several Grammy Awards as a producer. He also has worked on Grammy-winning
albums with John Legend, Oleta Adams, and Sergio Mendes.
Other artists with whom Mayo have worked include Beyonce, Sir Paul McCartney, Bruce
Springsteen, Bruno Mars, Jay-Z, Mick Jagger, Dr. Dre, Lizzo, Stevie Wonder, Carrie
Underwood, Blake Shelton, and Neil Young. For more than six years he and his saxophone
toured with Earth, Wind, & Fire, also recording and composing music for the legendary band.
Mayo has recorded three solo albums and has an impressive array of TV and film credits as
composer and performer, including Dancing With The Stars, American Idol, The Voice, and
numerous shows on Amazon, Netflix, Apple TV, and Nickelodeon. Mayo was the staff
composer for HBO’s Larry Sanders Show and CBS show High Society.
Mayo is a Rochester native who began playing music 8 years old and interned as a student with
radio station WDKX. Today he is one of the world’s most sought-after producers, songwriters,
and performers. Variety magazine has described Mayo as “immense talent.”
Scott Mayo will perform at the ceremony, joined by Rochester superstar Danielle Ponder
on vocals.
Johnny Vega (VAY-guh)
Johnny Vega is a singer/songwriter, international recording artist, and celebrated Salsa-music
pioneer. It is said there is Salsa “before Johnny Vega and Salsa after Jonny Vega,” referring
primarily to his implementation of horns, trumpets, and vocal harmonies. The native of Puerto
Rico first ang publicly at age 13 when he won a radio-station singing contest that earned him the
gifts he wanted to give his mother for Mother’s Day. The following year he taught himself guitar
and set himself on a lifelong career in music.
Moving to Rochester in 1970 he played numerous gigs while composing music and soon caught
the ear of industry giants. As big names came to town, Vega made it a point to meet with them
and offer songs. This led to his song “Pancuco” being recorded with Frankie Ruiz.
In time Vega’s band were playing with Latin music legends Celia Cruz, La Poncena, and Hector
Lavoe. Now heralded as a legend himself, Vega is one credited for influencing countless Salsa
musicians internationally. When they meet him, they thank him and call him “maestro.” The
Salsa Maestro has been recognized by the City of Rochester and Rochester’s Hispanic Heritage
Committee.
Remaining humble, upon earning the Heritage Committee award, Vega said, “I want the people,
the Latin people, to know and share how I feel about them. How much I owe to them, because
without them there is no Johnny Vega.”
Johnny Vega and his 12-piece band will perform at the May 5 ceremony.
The Douglas Lowry Award
The Rochester Music Hall of Fame annually honors and supports a graduating high-school senior the
Douglas Lowry Award. The honor recognizes students who have excelled in music and plan on
continuing their music education in college. The 2024 winner will be invited to perform at the
induction ceremony in addition to earning a $2,000 award for college expenses. Applications are
accepted now through March 15.
The Douglas Lowry Award is named for the late Eastman School of Music Dean Douglas Lowry,
who advised and supported the RMHF from the beginning and was instrumental in the induction
ceremony having a home at the Eastman Theatre. The Douglas Lowry Award application is online at
RochesterMusic.org. Direct link: https://rochestermusic.org/douglas-lowry-award/
About the Award Artist
The creator and crafter of the inductee awards since their inception is Rochester artist Mark
McDermott. He is the owner of Archigraphia, which specializes in one-of-a-kind metal sculptures,
fine furniture, and architectural designs.
Attn. Media
An electronic press kit with this release, photographs of the inductees, and links to video clips and
sound files is online https://tinyurl.com/RMHF2024
Media Contact:
Dresden Engle (585) 319-1812 [email protected]
