Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame finds new home

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame opened Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. The entrance exhibits faces of inductees and the stage outfit of Dee Snider from “Twisted Sister.”// Megan Naftali / In Sheer Magazine.

Part of being a musician is living life on the road, but Long Island’s best and brightest musicians now have a home. The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) officially opened the doors to its physical location on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022 after about 19 years. 

The big speakers/sound system on the far right and left, was donated by Randy Jackson from the Band “Zebra” who used them in the 70s. The sound system was given to them by Pink Floyd. The speakers in the back are from Twisted Sisters’ stage production. The keyboard is the actual one that the keyboard player from “Vanilla Fudge'' played on the Ed Sullivan Show. The drum set came from Albert Bouchard, the drummer in Blue Öyster Cult, which originated out of Stony Brook.//Megan Naftali/In Sheer Magazine.

The Hall of Fame is located in a complex owned by the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, a non-profit group, in Stony Brook and has two floors totaling 8,800 square feet. Founded in 2004, LIMEHOF is a 501(c)(3) organization that was created to celebrate Long Island’s music history and bolster music education for Long Island’s current and future generations, according to Norm Prusslin, the co-founder and board member of LIMEHOF. 

The new location features an exhibit on Long Island’s legendary club scenes from the 1960’s through 1980’s. Some interesting finds within the exhibit are Billy Joel’s Harley Davidson motorcycle and Joan Jett’s 1983 Jaguar. There is also a stage with music paraphernalia donated by inductees. Liver performances will also be held in the exhibit. The second floor has a theater where you can watch videos of inductees performing and an inductee gallery. 

“I think that Long Island has produced more music and entertainment, stars, celebrities and artists than any comparable area in the world. It just goes to show how much creativity is in this area and how we've enhanced the lives of people throughout the world,” said Ernie Canadeo, chairman of LIMEHOF. “Unfortunately, Long Island, being so close to New York City, often does not get that recognition. Opening up a Hall of Fame, like this, I think will open up a lot of people's eyes to the amount of incredible talent that has come from Long Island.”

Norm Prusslin, co-founder and board member of LIMEHOF stands in the inductee gallery on the second floor of the new Hall of Fame building.//Megan Naftali/In Sheer Magazine.

Starting in 2006, LIMEHOF began inducting musical artists and bands. Induction ceremonies occurred every other year until 2018. There was supposed to be a ceremony in 2020, but due to COVID-19, it had to be put off. 

“One of my favorite inductees that we did years ago that I'm particularly proud of because I've helped to kind of push that through, not that anyone opposed it, is that we inducted the Thunder Bird Sisters from the Shinnecock Indians, because they were here first, so hey, listen, they should have been the first inductees,” Prusslin said. “They couldn't believe that we wanted to acknowledge them.”

Other people inducted into the Hall of Fame include Joan Jett, Gene Simons, Billy Joel and Richie Cannata.

Cannata played Saxophone in the band with Billy Joel, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014. 

Richie Cannata accepts an award as he is inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2014.//Photo courtesy of Richie Cannata.

“What I can remember in detail [about the induction ceremony] was that it really is about Billy, and his music and the choice of his musicians and those musicians or myself, Liberty DeVito, Doug Stegmeyer and Russell Javors. There are so many people that played with Billy and said that they have [made] music with him, but we were those guys pictured on the albums, [who] were documented by our music,” Cannata said. “I went ahead and chose to do one or two songs, we ended up playing four songs that night. We couldn't get off the stage [because] people wanted us to play and perform. It was really very special because that is our music as well as Billy's, you know, Liberty's drum parts and my saxophone parts or Doug and Russell's parts, but those are our participations.”

When Cannata was a young child, his family moved to Garden City South where he was inspired to make music. He now owns and runs Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York. Some prominent names who recorded there include Billy Joel, the Jonas Brothers, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and many more. 

Richie Cannata leaves his signature on a poster for a concert he performed at on the second floor of the LIMEHOF building.//Megan Naftali/In Sheer Magazine.

“I love it here. I've been able to travel all around the world and I could have chosen any place else to live,” Cannata said. “There's nothing like being just 30 minutes away from the greatest cultural center of the world, New York City, and Long Island where I live on the North Shore is probably the most wonderful, beautiful, creative place ever.”

Cannata believes that LIMEHOF is important as it draws attention to which artists originated in Long Island. 

“Look at the community of people that are in it. You don't realize until you go, ‘Wow, these people are all from Long Island.’ It's something that shouldn't be overlooked,” Cannata said. “If you look at the membership, [there are] pretty important, talented people and I'm glad to be part of it.”

LIMEHOF’s Board of Directors nominate artists from different musical genres based on recorded history, research and suggestions from the public. Nominees are required to have been born or raised on Long Island or have lived there for a large part of their careers, according to the LIMEHOF website. 

Aside from inducting artists into the Hall of Fame, LIMEHOF also has educational outreach, offers students scholarships and grants, has a high school recognition program and an Educator of Note Award, in which they honor a teacher who is committed to music education. 

Joseph Rutkowski, a music educator who taught at Great Neck North High School, was honored with the Educator of Note Award in 2015. 

“Without learning, very few musicians are introduced to music to get involved in it without having it in their school,” Rutkowski said. “When I was inducted at the ceremony, it was a very proud night for me. It's great that the organization recognizes teachers that work hard.”

Rutkowski was also told to apply for his school to participate in the high school recognition program and Great Neck North High School was selected as a notable high school music program. The application process required three letters of support. One letter from a fellow teacher, one from an administrator and one from a parent, according to Rutkowski.

“We'd like to have as much outreach into schools as we can, and offer more scholarships. We'll certainly be inducting, I'm assuming hundreds of more artists in every area, including film, TV and comedy,” Canadeo said. “The goal, I would think in the future, is to continue highlighting Long Island's contributions to the arts.”