On its 30th b’Earthday, eTown was inducted into Colorado Music Hall of Fame. A virtual celebration took place on April 22, 2021 and featured music and conversation with Lyle Lovett, Bob Weir, Los Lobos, Sam Bush, City and Colour, The War and Treaty and many more musical and environmental activist guests.
Learn more about eTown, visit their inductee page.
View the entire eTown 30th b’Earthday celebration (click picture below)
On December 3, 2019, Colorado Music Hall of Fame inducted Tommy Bolin, Zephyr, Otis Taylor, Freddi & Henchi, Tony Spicola and Wendy Kale as its Going Back to Colorado class of 2019. The evening at Denver’s Mission Ballroom included performances by special guests Joe Bonamassa and Warren Haynes, David and Anna Givens, the Otis Taylor Band, Freddi Gowdy with members of the Freddi & Henchi Band.
Denver’s Central Presbyterian Church hosted a massive celebration of folk music, as Colorado Music Hall of Fame inducted its Old Folk, New Folk class on November 9, 2019. Twenty-one women who have been part of The Mother Folkers were inducted into The Hall, along with Dick Weissman, Walt Conley and Swallow Hill Music, which was also celebrating its 40th anniversary. Guest performances included Colorado Music Hall of Fame inductee and Swallow Hill founder, Harry Tuft.
Walt Conley
The Mother Folkers
Swallow Hill Music
Dick Weissman
On December 3, 2018, Colorado Music Hall of Fame inducted Chuck Morris, 97.3 KBCO and Senator John Hickenlooper (who was Colorado Governor at the time) into its Live & On the Air class of 2018. A celebration at the historic Paramount Theatre featured musical appearances from Amos Lee, Todd Park Mohr, Isaac Slade and Ben Wysocki of The Fray, Bill Nershi and members of The String Cheese Incident, Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt from Leftover Salmon, Jeff Hanna and members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Leo Kottke, and Chris Daniels & the Kings.
Live & On the Air inductees:
Colorado Music Hall of Fame
Induction Concert honoring
The Jazz Masters & Beyond Induction Concert was by all accounts an extraordinary evening of music, personal stories and emotional inductions. Audience and performers alike were moved by the love and sense of community felt by all at Paramount Theatre that night.
Before the official show time, anxious jazz lovers entered the finely crafted Art Deco auditorium to the sounds of East High School’s Sixth Hour Jazz Combo proudly playing a half hour set of their own compositions.
Subsequently, the brightly colored event logo lit up the stage as Mayor Michael B. Hancock and the Hall’s Chair, Chuck Morris opened the show with a brief introduction and welcome to the audience, then turned over the 3 ½ hour event to hosts; the popular Former Mayor Wellington Webb and KUVO’s charismatic radio personality, Carlos Lando.
To begin the evening, the Barry Fey Visionary Award [named after the legendary Denver promoter] was presented to music directors, Keith Oxman and Will Taylor on behalf of the renowned Music Program at East High School, that had produced so many esteemed professional musicians over the last century! These include past inductees; band leader, Paul Whiteman; singer, Judy Collins; and most of tonight’s honorees.
The inductions began with 97-year-old Charles Burrell — the first person of color to be hired by a major symphony [Denver] in the United States. In his 60-plus years as a professional musician, Burrell played for many other orchestras and conductors here and around the world. After accepting his award, Burrell charmed the crowd with an impromptu jig. He was honored with a performance by local jazz maven, pianist Purnell Steen and his band, Le Jazz Machine.
Next up were inductions for the widely acclaimed and sought–after jazz musicians; guitarist, Bill Frisell and trumpeter, Ron Miles. Both are East High alums. The 4-song set with drummer Brian Blade, entranced the crowd with their amazing musical synchronicity. They ended their performance with a beautiful cover of “What the World Needs Now Is Love”, which was thematic of the night.
World renowned Jazz vocalist and 5 time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves was all smiles while receiving her well-deserved induction award from Mayor Wellington Webb and Carlos Lando.
The audience was awed by her exuberant vocals and poignant stories of growing up in Denver. She introduced her song “Nine” quietly recalling the following childhood memory, “We played out in the street all day long,…in the middle of the street…we played with our imaginations from sunup to sundown. The neighbors looked after all the children. I decided to dedicate this song to the age of nine, because it’s the last time you’re only one number.” At the end of the song the audience jumped to their feet, applauding loudly in recognition of a more innocent time.
The final Inductions honored former Earth, Wind, & Fire band members and East High grads; Larry Dunn, Andrew Woolfolk [absent because of illness], and Philip Bailey. After receiving their awards, a lighting change revealed a battalion of instruments and musicians—
Denver-based band Hot Lunch, keyboardist Dunn and vocalist Bailey. During the first part of their set Bailey delighted the audience with stories of transitioning from students to young musicians. But just when you thought it was safe to take a seat, the place exploded with dancing and singing when they lit into ,”Let’s Groove,” “Shining Star,” and “September”! After the exhilarating performance, they all took their bows and said goodnight.
The house lights came up and the former shadows of dancing, waving, applauding people, revealed an audience of many ages and colors, smiling as they headed home, united by the power of music…and love!
The Colorado Music Hall of Fame hosted an induction concert honoring Dan Fogelberg, Joe Walsh & Barnstorm and Caribou Ranch on Sunday, August 13, 7 p.m. at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre.
The event, “The Rocky Mountain Way,” featured Garth Brooks, Amy Grant & Vince Gill, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Randy Owen of Alabama, Richie Furay, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Michael Martin Murphey and surprise guests paid tribute to the late Dan Fogelberg and James William Guercio’s Caribou Ranch, the legendary recording studio. The classic Colorado lineup of Barnstorm—Joe Walsh, Kenny Passarelli and Joe Vitale—reunited and performed, and famed music producer Bill Szymczyk received the CMHOF Award of Excellence.
A closer look at the inductees, the seventh group enshrined in the CMHOF since its inception in 2011:
The son of Lawrence, a bandleader, and Margaret, a pianist, Fogelberg left his studies at the University of Illinois and headed for the West Coast, finding inspiration during a week in Colorado before moving on and securing a recording contract. For his second release, Souvenirs, Fogelberg enlisted producer Joe Walsh, who had recently recorded at Caribou Ranch near Nederland, Colorado, and “Part of the Plan” went to the top of the charts. While touring through Colorado in the mid-1970s, Fogelberg bought a house from Chris Hillman, situated 9,000 feet up on top of the Rocky Mountains. His time there resulted in the songs on Nether Lands, a platinum seller. He recorded part of his next venture, Phoenix, in Colorado, and the songs “Heart Hotels” and “Longer” were pop hits. The Innocent Age, released in 1981, included four of his biggest singles—“Same Old Lang Syne,” “Hard To Say,” “Leader of the Band” and “Run For the Roses.“ Fogelberg bought land in the San Juan Mountains and constructed his Mountain Bird Ranch. High Country Snows, made with some of his favorite acoustic pickers, became one of the best-selling bluegrass albums of all time. He built a home studio at his spread; The Wild Places, released in 1990, was the first album he self-produced and mostly tracked there. His rendition of the Cascades’ 1963 hit, “Rhythm of the Rain,” peaked at No. 3 on the adult contemporary chart. Fogelberg’s long career was interrupted in 2004, when he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He finally succumbed to the disease in December 2007.
Joe Walsh built a considerable reputation as lead guitarist and lead vocalist for the Cleveland-based James Gang. Such tunes as “Funk #49, “Tend My Garden,” “Walk Away” and “The Bomber” brought wide popularity and endless touring, and, as the big bucks beckoned, Walsh turned the other way. In 1971, encouraged by his friend and producer Bill Szymczyk, Walsh made the difficult decision to relocate to the open air of Colorado’s Boulder County. He formed a new group called Barnstorm with drummer Joe Vitale, a former Kent State classmate, and Colorado bassist Kenny Passarelli. Barnstorm was the first album ever recorded at the legendary Caribou Ranch studio near Nederland. Walsh freely indulged himself with beautiful choruses, country tinges and pastoral pop hooks on “Mother Says,” “Here We Go” and “Turn to Stone.” Accompanied once again by Passarelli and Vitale, Walsh officially went solo the following year with his second album, The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get. The first Top 10 album of Walsh’s career, it went on to sell more than a million copies. “Rocky Mountain Way,” co-written by Passarelli and inspired by Walsh’s move to Colorado, opened up a massive audience for Walsh and his band. Barnstorm disbanded amicably in 1975, allowing Walsh to produce Dan Fogelberg’s Souvenirs album. So What, his third solo album, included “Welcome to the Club” and a remake of “Turn to Stone.” At the end of 1975, the Eagles drafted their old friend to join them; Walsh’s tenure with the popular West Coast country-rock quintet gave him enhanced visibility, and he continued his pattern of successful solo albums.
Owner James William Guercio got his start producing a string of hits for the Buckinghams circa 1967; he became a staff producer for Columbia Records and began working with Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears. Through five albums with Chicago, he gathered up enough money to buy Caribou Ranch for a reported $1 million in 1971. Caribou, in its idyllic setting nearly 9,000 feet up near Nederland in the Rocky Mountains, had been the largest privately owned an Arabian stud farm in the country. Guercio installed the studio in 1973 and then transformed the place into an opulent retreat for pop music’s aristocracy. Caribou Ranch, the first “destination studio,” gained prominence when Elton John recorded three albums there, including the gratefully titled Caribou in the spring of 1974. The life-in-the-fast-lane ambiance that usually accompanied a recording session disappeared at Caribou. There wasn’t a nightclub down the street, and artists didn’t have to send for food or commute back and forth from a hotel or even worry about the laundry. During the studio’s glory days, an entourage got full use of the facilities for a basic rate of $1,500 a day, and record companies were only too willing to shell out the money during their boom years. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Caribou Ranch hosted the biggest names in music, including such legends as Chicago, the Beach Boys, Stephen Stills, Billy Joel, Frank Zappa, John Lennon, Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind & Fire. The studio was in operation until the control room suffered extensive fire damage in March 1985.
Famed music producer Bill Szymczyk’s first major success came when he convinced blues legend B.B. King to cut contemporary-sounding albums; the result was King’s first major pop crossover, “The Thrill Is Gone,” a hit in 1970. Szymczyk then signed and produced the James Gang, featuring Joe Walsh. He came to Colorado in 1971 and worked as a disc jockey for free-form radio station KFML and was a co-founder of Denver’s Tumbleweed Records, a small independent label based out of a funky old house just east of downtown Denver on Gilpin Street; the label folded in 1973. Szymczyk went on to have great success in the 1970s, both as an A&R man and behind the board, regarded for his great success working with Joe Walsh. When the Eagles wanted a more rock ‘n’ roll sound, they hired Szymczyk, and the unprecedented chart success of the 1974 On the Border and 1975 One of These Nights albums made both parties millions.
CMHOF’s VIP reception with panel discussion “Colorado Getaway: The History of the Grateful Dead in the High Country” was a huge success for attendees, judging by the number of smiling faces and superlatives offered.
Board member Paul Epstein was the driving force behind this event, offering his encyclopedic knowledge of the Dead and his wealth of artifacts to craft a memorable experience for Deadheads. Everyone in attendance was smitten by the timeline exhibit that has since been displayed at The Hall’s museum at Red Rocks Amphitheatre Trading Post.
Board member “Pasta Jay” Elowsky and his staff did their typically brilliant job in creating a festive, celebratory atmosphere for the band and its fans with the incredible Dead-inspired cuisine, balloons, etc. After opening remarks, renowned Grateful Dead authority David Gans (“The Grateful Dead Hour“) performed a few songs in tribute to the band, then moderated a panel of Paul, Grammy winner David Glasser (Airshow Mastering) and promoter Don Strasburg. Celebrity Deadhead Bill Walton made an appearance and graciously posed for pictures and signed autographs.
The three original members of the Grateful Dead—Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann—arrived and offered their good-natured insights into the band’s defining events in Colorado.
The afternoon ended with the distribution of “swag” envelopes containing a “Red Rocks 7/8/78” 3-CD set (available for sale on our SHOP) and commemorative comic, menu and postcards, followed by a wonderful performance by Dead & Co. in club level seats.
The Colorado Music Hall of Fame held its “20th Century Pioneers” induction event on April 16, 2016, at the Glenn Miller Ballroom on the University of Colorado-Boulder campus. Singer and entertainer Lannie Garrett, who was also inducted, paid tribute to Paul Whiteman (“the King of Jazz”), Billy Murray (“the Denver Nightingale”), soprano Elizabeth Spencer and Max Morath (“Mr. Ragtime”), and the Glenn Miller Orchestra enshrined legendary bandleader Glenn Miller. The evening featured video tributes and a first look at the CMHOF “20th Century Pioneers” permanent exhibit.
Photos top to bottom—poster; Lannie Garrett and band; Glenn Miller Orchestra; Paul Whiteman and Glenn Miller exhibit panels; Billy Murray and Elizabeth Spencer exhibit panels; Max Morath and Lannie Garrett; buttons
The Colorado Music Hall of Fame hosted an induction concert with performances from original members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Poco and Firefall, with a tribute to Stephen Stills/Manassas featuring Nathaniel Rateliff, on January 9, 2015 at Denver’s Paramount Theatre. The evening, also featured video tributes and celebrity speeches by comedian and veterinarian Kevin Fitzgerald, producer Jim Mason and CMHOF chairman Chuck Morris. The pre-concert gala (a meet-and-greet with the inductees) included a historic array of exhibits and archival photographs. Also honored were Chris Hillman, Richie Furay and comedian/banjo player Steve Martin.
Photos top to bottom—Governor John Hickenloooper; Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Jock Bartley (Firefall), Richie Furay (Poco) and Nathaniel Rateliff; Rateliff, Hanna, Bartley and Furay; Firefall’s Bartley, Rick Roberts, Mark Andes and Larry Burnett; Firefall’s Sandy Ficca, Steve Weinmeister, Andes, David Muse and Bartley; Poco’s Rusty Young, Paul Cotton, Furay and Timothy B. Schmit; Furay, Young, Cotton and Schmit; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Hanna, Jimmy Ibbotson and John McEuen; NGDB’s Ibbotson, Jimmie Fadden, Hanna, McEuen and Bob Carpenter; t-shirt.
Folk music legend Judy Collins was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on November 8, 2013 at Denver’s Paramount Theater. The stellar induction class included the Serendipity Singers, Bob Lind and Chris Daniels. Collins gave a full concert, Lind and Daniels performed, and guest members of Paper Bird commemorated the Serendipity Singers’ hits. The evening also featured a video tribute to Denver’s folk scene of the late 1950s and 1960s, and celebrity speeches by Fred Gowdy (Freddi-Henchi Band), Al Chapman (owner of the Analyst coffeehouse), attorney Steve Farber and Harry Tuft (Denver Folklore Center) . The pre-concert gala (a meet-and-greet with the inductees) included a historic array of exhibits and archival photographs.
Photos top to bottom—The Serendipity Singers’ Brooks Hatch, Patti Davis, Diane Decker, John Madden, Steve Farber (inductor), Tom Tiemann, Lynne Weintraub; Paper Bird’s Mark Anderson, Gen Patterson, Esme Patterson, Sarah Anderson, Tyler Despres; Chris Daniels & the Kings; Bob Lind; Harry Tuft, Judy Collins; Judy Collins, Chris Daniels
© Colorado Music Hall of Fame
© Colorado Music Hall of Fame