PORTLAND, Ore. - Local music fans packed the Roseland Theater Saturday night for the third-annual Oregon Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Oregon's vibrant music scene was well represented with performances by Hall of Famers: The Crazy 8’s, Cool’R, Jeff Lorber and Sleazy Pieces - albeit Sleazy Pieces was one man down.

“We lost our lead singer, Earl Benson, in ’07,” said front-man for Sleazy Pieces Steve Bradley. “He was really eclectic, kind of a little bit Ginsberg and a little bit of Ratso.”

This year's crop of inducted musicians, writers and other Oregon music veterans rounded out a list of 65 others already commemorated in Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Past inductees include Mel Brown, Craig Carothers, Doc Severinsen, Curtis Salgado, Nu Shooz, James DePreist, Quarterflash, Robert Cray, Elliot Smith, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.

This year, the seven inductees in the music category were:

• Dan Balmer, legendary jazz guitarist
• Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, the famed zoot-suit-clad swing band
• Cool’r, the funk ensemble made popular in the 1980s
• Bobby Torres, the Latin-jazz percussionist who played at Woodstock with Joe Cocker
• Terry Robb, acoustic blues guitarist, singer and composer
• Sleazy Pieces, a popular local bar-band from the 1970s
• Bruce Carter, drummer for Kenny G (awarded posthumously).

There were three inductees in the industry category including Mikal Gilmore, a writer for Rolling Stone magazine; Buck Munger, publisher and editor of Two Louies magazine; and a posthumous award to Gary Ewing for his years of multi-media light shows.

In addition to honoring 2009 inductees, Saturday’s ceremony included a silent and live auction to raise funds for scholarship programs. Among the items up for bid were local ephemera from years past, wine and travel packages, and signed guitars.

“Portland Music provided a number of Fender guitars at a reduced price,” said Dale Waagmeester, board director and treasurer of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. “We were able to get them signed by some great artists such as The Pretenders, Joan Jett, Arlo Guthrie, Taj Mahal, Ann and Nancy Wilson and The Decemberists.”

The highest winning bid of the evening went for a guitar signed by Crosby, Stills and Nash. That fetched a cool $1,000.

About the Oregon Music Hall of Fame
Formerly known as the Oregon Music Coalition, the Oregon Music Hall of Fame was created as a non-profit organization five years ago by Terry Currier, owner of Music Millennium, along with other notables in the local music industry.

"Our goal is to honor musicians of the past, promote current musicians and educate musicians of the future,” said Waagmeester.

Inductees are nominated by Hall of Fame board members as well as the general public. Nominees are then voted on by an independent panel of music industry professionals.

Proceeds provide scholarships
In May 2009, OMHOF awarded scholarships to four “outstanding young musicians.” Scholarships went to percussionist Matthew Keown from Springfield High School, Maya Dair Rothfuss from the Portland Waldorf School and violinist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, trumpet player Kai Sandoval from Siuslaw High School in Florence, and bassist/violinist Kate Davis from West Linn High School.

Although the annual induction ceremony is the largest fund-raiser of the year, OMHOF relies greatly on the support of its members. 

An annual membership to the Oregon Music Hall of Fame is $30 and comes with "the satisfaction of knowing that music and music education will continue to thrive in Oregon," Waagmeester said.

The Oregon Music Hall of Fame provides much-deserved recognition to those who have had an indelible impact on the music industry both here at home and around the world. For more information on volunteer opportunities (such as an open grant-writing slot), upcoming events or to become a member, visit www.omhof.org.