Westbury honors musical greats

  • 2016-11-10
At the beginning of November, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony and fundraising gala.

This year's gala was held at the Space at Westbury and served as a homecoming for many of the musicians inducted into the Hall of Fame. Steve Vai, a guitarist and Charles Koppelman, an executive in the music business, were two local inductees.

Now 56 years old, Vai moved to Carle Place with his family at the age of one, and began his career in music in his family's home in Westbury. Although Vai now lives in California and has for many years, he frequently returns to the area to see family and friends. He plays shows at the NYCB theater frequently, and will be playing there again this Saturday, November 12.

Along with Westbury natives such as Vai and Koppelman, a number of other musicians got inducted into the Hall of Fame on November 3. These inductees included Sandy Pearlman, a producer and songwriter for the likes of the Clash and Blue Oyster Cult, Big Daddy Kane (a rapper), Garland Jeffreys (a singer/songwriter), and Vince Giordano (a jazz bandleader). The NYCB Theatre at Westbury, formerly known as the Westbury Music Fair, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The organizers of fundraising galas often use postcard printing to get people to purchase tickets and to make donations.