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- Choreographer Garth Fagan, radio DJ Brother Wease, and reggae band The Majestics are among Rochester Music Hall of Fame's Class of 2023.
Garth Fagan, Brother Wease, and Rochester Red Wings organist Fred Costello were named to the hall’s eclectic Class of 2023 along with reggae band The Majestics, R&B singer-songwriter Charlene Keys, and the late concert producer and metal guitarist Sebastian Marino.
“No category — rock, jazz, classical composers, theater, R&B, folk — no group represents more than about 17 percent of our inductees,” Rochester Music Hall of Fame President Jack Whittier said in announcing the inductees . “So when you come to our induction ceremony, you are going to get a vast array of music.
The current class is not only stylistically diverse, but also hail from a variety of professional disciplines.
Jamaican-born Garth Fagan created his eponymous Rochester dance group in 1970. Fagan became a household name in the dance world with his choreography for the hit Broadway musical “The Lion King.”
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- Fred Costello.
Fred Costello, the beloved organist of the Rochester Red Wings baseball team and jazz musician, is the longest-running sports organist in America.
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- Charlene Keys, aka Tweet.
Reggae band The Majestics also has longevity on the Rochester scene. Three of the original members — keyboardist-guitarist Ron Stackman, bassist Jim Schwarz, and drummer Lou LaVilla — have played music together since 1973, when they formed Bahama Mama. They went on to form The Majestics, perhaps best known for their live and recorded collaborations with reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry.
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- Sebastian Marino.
The 2023 Rochester Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony takes place April 30, at 7 p.m., at Eastman Theatre’s Kodak Hall. Tickets are available now at rochestermusic.org.
Daniel J. Kushner is CITY's arts editor. He can be reached at [email protected].