2020 Inductions

Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame postpones induction ceremony, concerts for 2020 inductees

PAWTUCKET – Due to the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame (RIMHOF) will postpone our scheduled 2020 Hall of Fame induction events set for April 26 and May 14. The 2020 inductees – The American Band, Hal Crook, Joe Doyle, and Scott Hamilton – are already officially members of the Hall of Fame as of RIMHOF’s Feb. 28 announcement. As we join Rhode Island and the entire world in practicing social distancing, we have decided that the planned celebration, concerts and unveilings must be put on hold. RIMHOF’s primary concern is the safety and health of our inductees, patrons, and volunteers. There is also no more important part of our annual inductions than honoring each class in the manner they deserve, with friends, family, and fans in attendance. RIMHOF will continue to monitor public health guidelines before rescheduling the 2020 induction events.

The Rhode Island Department of Health has launched a 24-hour hotline for anyone with questions about the Coronavirus at (401) 222-8022. Residents can also call 211 after 4:30 p.m. for assistance.

Inductee Info

PAWTUCKET – The Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame (RIMHOF) has announced its 2020 inductees. The four new members will be: The American Band, Hal Crook, Joe Doyle, and Scott Hamilton.

“During the last eight years, the Music Hall of Fame initiative has provided our state with a great opportunity to acknowledge Rhode Island’s musical greats and celebrate their achievements. The organization’s primary goal is to promote and preserve our state’s rich musical heritage in all its forms,” says Rick Bellaire, vice chair of RIMHOF.

 

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. At last year’s induction concert event, the public saw six displays unveiled honoring the inductees in the museum space located in the hallways of Hope Artiste Village. This year’s induction ceremony will see four more displays unveiled celebrating the 2020 inductees and bringing the total to 75 inductee exhibits produced in just nine 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.

Robert Billington, Chair of RIMHOF noted, “The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and concerts have become the place to be and be seen at as we continue to showcase the fascinating history of Rhode Island’s musical heroes. The events are a virtual ‘who’s who’ of Rhode Island music history.”

THE AMERICAN BAND


One of the oldest community musical organizations in the United States, the American Band, of Providence, was incorporated in 1837 as a 15-piece ensemble of brass instruments and drums under the directorship of Joseph C. Greene, a famed soloist on the keyed bugle. The heyday of the band was after the Civil War, when it became a professional organization going out on national tours under the directorship of cornet soloist and composer David Wallis Reeves who added flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons and the recently invented saxophones to the ensemble, creating the blueprint for the modern concert band sound of today. After Reeve’s death in 1900, the American Band gradually became more of a community group playing local concerts and parades. By the early 1970s, the membership had dropped and the band ceased performing until Dr. Francis Marciniak of Rhode Island College revived it in 1978. Dr. Marciniak led the revitalized group until his sudden death in 1996. Since then, the band has continued to great acclaim under the batons of University of Rhode Island professors Dr. Gene J. Pollart, and starting in 2013, Dr. Brian Cardany. The American Band is considered one of the best symphonic bands in Southeastern New England, performing classical and contemporary music for winds and percussion at events throughout the Tri-state area.  It has a 70-plus volunteer membership of highly skilled instrumentalists from various professions including many music teachers.

HAL CROOK


Throughout the course of his six decade career, musician Hal Crook, of Cranston, has enjoyed international acclaim and success as both a performer and an educator. As a trombonist, composer and arranger, he has recorded and/or performed with a “who’s who” of modern jazz including Phil Woods, Clark Terry and Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band and appears on four dozen albums as a leader or sideman. He designed curriculum and taught at many schools including his alma mater, the Berklee College of Music, the Rhode Island School of Music, URI and UCLA before returning to Berklee in 1986 where he designed and taught courses in jazz arranging, composition, harmony, counterpoint, improvisation, repertoire and ensemble performance for 30 years. He retired in 2016.

JOE DOYLE


After graduating from the Berklee College of Music, Joe Doyle, of Riverside, moved to Nashville in January, 1988 to pursue a career as a songwriter. Originally a drummer, during college he’d learned to play guitar and piano and developed an interest in songwriting. It didn’t take long for those in the know in “music city” to recognize his talents – he signed his first songwriting contract in April of that year with publishing giant BMG Music. This began a 10-year run of recordings of his songs by the biggest stars in country music including Reba McEntire, Dan Seals, Martina McBride, Rhett Akins, and Alabama. Since then, superstars including Kenny Rogers, Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw have covered his material. He teaches songwriting at Tennessee State University has released two albums of his original songs as a solo artist.

SCOTT HAMILTON

World renowned tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, of Providence, was born in 1954. He began his career playing blues harp and alto sax, but by age 16 he’d become serious about the tenor. After honing his style with his first jazz group, The Hamilton-Bates Blue Flames, he moved to New York in 1976 and hasn’t looked back since. His style, while deeply rooted in the pre-Bop sounds of Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, was already fully formed and seemed unique and all his own during the days of free jazz and early fusion. Through his mentor Roy Eldridge, with whom he’d played in Boston the previous year, he was welcomed into the fold by the old guard and worked with Anita O’Day, Hank Jones, Benny Goodman, Illinois Jacquet, Woody Herman and another of his mentors, Ruby Braff. In 1977, Scott began recording for Concord Records and in the notes for his first album, jazz writer Leonard Feather hailed him as, “…the most counterrevolutionary welcome arrival on the scene…a breath of fresh air.”  He has more than 100 albums in his discography including more than 40 as a leader or co-leader, a dozen with Rosemary Clooney, and releases with Dave McKenna, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Flip Phillips, Buddy Tate, and Warren Vache. For some years he was based in London, but now calls Italy home. He regularly tours around the world and returns to the U.S. several times per year.

 

2019 Induction Coverage

Pawtucket Times Coverage | What’s Up Rhode Island Induction Coverage
Photos by Sonja Lemoi
| Motif Photos | Rick Farrell Photos
Initial Press Release  | View Bios & Photos

2019 Inductees