By Don Priest | kfsrbluesdog@gmail.com
Continuing their mission of paying tribute to the artists who have significantly contributed to the Valley’s musical heritage, The Valley Music Hall of Fame proudly announces this year’s inductees. Joining the ranks of honorees are educator/jazz saxophonist Ben Boone, folk music legend Kenny Hall, Flamenco guitar master Juan Serrano, Native American rockers Redbone, and TV/nightclub entertainer Ann Leonardo Thaxter.
The Induction ceremony will take place on Wednesday, September 20, at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater for a ‘dinner & show’ celebration with food, special guests, and musical performances representative of the inductees. Tickets are $85 per person (includes dinner and show) and are available by calling Roger Rocka’s at 559-266-9494.
THE INDUCTEES
Ben Boone is a composer/ jazz saxophonist/professor at California State University, Fresno, where he teaches music theory and composition. His contemporary and classical compositions have been performed in 35 countries, appear on 28 recordings, and have been the subject of several National Public Radio and Bayerischer Rundfunk (German Radio) stories. He has also been awarded Fulbright Scholarships to Ireland, Ghana, and the Republic of Moldova. His ‘Origin Records’ album with U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine, “The Poetry of Jazz,” was hailed in literary and music journals as a historic recording, as well as being voted #3 “Best Album of 2018” (behind Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis) in annual Reader’s Polls and has been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” In addition, he was awarded #3 “Best Alto Saxophonist of 2020” in the 42nd Annual Jazz Station Awards, and his album with The Ghana Jazz Collective, Joy, was named #5 “Best Album of 2020” and #5 “Best Instrumental Group of 2020.”
Kenny Hall was born blind on October 14, 1923. He attended the California School for the Blind in Berkeley, where he learned his first music on violin. Throughout his life, he learned over 1,100 tunes from fellow students at the School for the Blind, coworkers at the broom factory where he worked, and from listening to 78rpm records by artists like the Happy Hayseeds. Though he primarily played Old-Time music on fiddle and mandolin, he also learned and performed tunes from Ireland, Mexico, Scotland, Italy, Portugal, and many other countries. His eclectic repertoire and distinctive mandolin style were influential among folk musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley. He was a fixture at the Sweets Mill Music Festival, where he influenced countless other musicians and appeared on a series of recordings with the Sweets Mill String Band. Kenny was also noted for hosting weekly jam sessions at the Santa Fe Basque restaurant in Fresno, where he shared his skills and wisdom with seasoned and aspiring local musicians. He passed away in Fresno in 2013.
Redbone: Born in Coalinga, California, brothers Patrick (bass and vocals) and Candido “Lolly” Vasquez-Vegas (guitar and vocals) played many local gigs before moving to Los Angeles in 1959, where they spent ten years working for the Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard clubs under an assortment of band names while writing songs and playing on records by Tina Turner, Sonny & Cher, James Brown, Little Richard, and Elvis, among other legendary artists. Jimi Hendrix, a frequent guest at the Sunset Strip venues, was so impressed with the Vegas brothers that he told them they should start their own band and suggested the name reflect their Native American roots. Thus “Redbone” was born. (The word is a Cajun term for a mixed-race person.) Redbone has played consistently and all over the world from the 1960s through today. Their music has been featured in numerous films, and they were the subject of the PBS documentary “Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World.” A history of their work can currently be viewed on the “Redbone” YouTube channel. In 2008, they were inducted into the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame.
Dr. Juan Serrano Rodríguez is a flamenco guitar master who has played concerts and made recordings internationally. He has devoted much of his life to giving concerts and teaching flamenco guitar around the world. He was born in Córdoba, Spain, in 1934. In 1961 he accepted an invitation to come to America and perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, which placed him in immediate demand. He later developed the guitar program at California State University, Fresno, and headed the guitar department there until his retirement. Serrano is still much sought after as a performer, a master classes instructor, and a guest lecturer on the history of Flamenco. He has written numerous guitar instruction books and released over a dozen albums. He was awarded the Medalla de Oro from the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts and is the only flamenco guitarist in the world with a doctorate in humane letters, and was a tenured faculty at a major university. Juan currently resides in Florida.
Ann Leonardo Thaxter began her career singing and playing piano at Fresno High School and performing on KJEO TV with the local hillbilly group, The Dave Stogner Band. She then got her own show on KMJ Radio/TV, where she performed and interviewed local teen talent. A chance audition on a trip to New York led to appearances on the Arthur Godfrey, Ed Sullivan, Art Linkletter, and Captain Kangaroo shows. All of which led to performances with stars such as Jerry Lewis, Roger Williams, and Les Brown’s Band of Renown. This was followed by a tour of major nightclubs on the east coast and a recording contract with Capitol Records. During the Vietnam era, she followed her husband Tom, an orthopedic surgeon, to Okinawa, Japan, where she appeared as a performer and interviewer on Armed Forces Radio. Upon her return to Fresno, she completed her degree at Fresno State and began inspiring children through her work with the Dailey and Bullard Talent elementary school’s choral groups. Ann currently resides at The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens and can occasionally be found sitting at the piano entertaining fellow residents.
HISTORY
This year marks the third round of inductions to the Valley Music Hall of Fame, whose goal is to honor those artists who have made significant contributions to the Valley’s musical communities from Merced to Bakersfield, regardless of genre. That first group of honorees (inducted on video due to Covid in 2021) were accordion heartthrob Dick Contino; classical music performer/educators Russell Howland and James Winters; Country Swing band leader Dave Stogner; And Broadway sensation Audra McDonald.
The second class, inducted last year at a gala ceremony at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater, included educator/entertainer/activist Gene Bluestein; Latin Rock innovator Ray Camacho; the reputed King & Queen of Valley Marching Bands Allen & Faye Harkins; Armenia music historian and quintessential Oud player Richard Hagopian; and perhaps the oldest classical music organization in California, The Fresno Musical Club.
NEXT UP
Forms and information regarding the next round of induction are available on the Valley Music Hall of Fame website, www.valleymusichalloffame.org. The deadline for submission of nominations for the 2024 class of inductees is December 31, 2023.
Choosing Legends: The Process
Now that we’re doing this for the third time, we can see three distinct patterns in the reactions that have evolved with each inductee announcement. The first is generally an expression of appreciation for the work we’re doing to honor the quality of Valley musicianship. The second is the “I never knew that” about a person we’re celebrating. The third is generally expressed in two ways: “I nominate so & so” or “Why isn’t so & so nominated?” We appreciate all three responses, as it shows we’re getting our message out. But let’s look at the third and see if we can’t clear up some misconceptions.
Let’s begin by dispelling the notion that induction to The Valley Music Hall of Fame is accomplished simply by popular vote. We’ve all seen contests where artists and their supporters scramble to garner votes for a particular award based solely on numbers, with limited consideration given to historical accomplishments and community relevance. Not that those kinds of contests don’t have merit; they are good at highlighting what’s popular at any particular point in time. But that’s not the path we chose to follow.
From our earliest discussions, we were adamant that if we were going to devote the time and energy required to develop this thing properly, we wanted it to be something truly special, something with some real weight to it. The goal has always been to create a means of appropriately recognizing the tremendous work, talent, and achievements of some of the more outstanding members of our Valley’s musical community – regardless of genre. Of course, that’s easier said than done.
It took considerable research to investigate other Music Hall of Fame operations to see how they selected their honorees.
We sorted through several models – some straightforward, some pretty complicated. The common theme was that they all required significant documentation detailing the musical accomplishments of the artist as well as their contributions to their local communities and perceived legacy.
To turn this type of information into measurable values, we based our system on the method employed by the Buffalo New York Music Hall of Fame. (They’ve been doing this for over 30 years and were very helpful to us new guys.) After much discussion and some modifications, we came up with a point system that looks at the following categories: longevity in the Central Valley, community service in music, music education/mentoring, charitable contributions (monetarily or in-kind), recording status, production credits (including producing, engineering, mixing, and mastering). Also reviewed and counted towards scoring are recognition for proficiency in an artist’s performance medium, record of composition or sale of music, public visibility, musical versatility, documented chart activity for national and international recording, touring, involvement with motion pictures or television soundtracks, and Internet exposure.
Yes, it is an intimidating list. And yes, it does require time and effort on the part of the community member who does the nomination to pull all this together. Likewise, it takes a good chunk of time for the board subcommittee to evaluate everything. (Note: VMHOF board members are not eligible to nominate.) The principle behind this seemingly complicated process is to ensure that only those artists whose musical careers have left – or are leaving – indelible contributions to our musical culture are being inducted into The Valley Music Hall of Fame.
And there are plenty of them out there; no doubt we can all think of at least a dozen people who should be inducted. So do it – as fifteen other nominators have successfully done! Go to our website, www.valleymusichalloffame.org, download the forms, and get started. The deadline for nominations for the 2024 class of inductees is December 31, 2023.
