Vocal Group Hall of Fame facts for kids

The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was a special place in the United States. It celebrated and honored amazing vocal groups. It was like a museum and a hall of fame all in one.

The main office was in Sharon, Pennsylvania. The Hall of Fame changed hands over the years. It closed down in 2008.

History of the Hall of Fame

How the Hall of Fame Started

The idea for the Vocal Group Hall of Fame came from Tony Butala. He is a founding member of the famous singing group The Lettermen. James E. Winner Jr., a successful businessman, agreed to help fund and run the project.

The "Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc." first opened in 1998. Later, a non-profit foundation was also created. This foundation was set up to protect and display items from the inducted groups. It also looked for donations and grants to help its work.

Mr. Winner renovated a building to be the museum. He then opened the museum and set up its main office there.

Changes in 2001

Induction ceremonies were planned for September 11, 2001. However, the September 11 attacks happened, and artists could not travel. All flights were stopped. Because of this, the induction ceremony had to be moved to October 4, 2001.

During this time, some museum staff saw a concert produced by Bob Crosby. They liked his work and asked him to produce their 2001 induction ceremony. Mr. Crosby agreed. He successfully put on the concert and even made the first DVD of the inductions.

Over time, the museum had low visitor numbers. Ticket sales for the museum and inductions were not very good. This caused some disagreements between Mr. Winner and Mr. Butala. Mr. Butala was often on tour, so he couldn't help much.

To solve these issues, they decided to close the original "For-profit" company. Mr. Butala still wanted his dream to continue. He suggested that Bob Crosby take over the non-profit foundation. Mr. Crosby became the President and CEO of The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation.

Soon after Mr. Crosby took over, the foundation's board of directors resigned. The rent for the museum building also increased a lot. This made it very hard for the foundation to continue. They faced many debts. After some legal discussions, the foundation was no longer responsible for these debts.

It became clear that the foundation could not afford to stay in Mr. Winner's building. They needed to find a new place.

Moving to a New Home in 2002

On June 14, 2002, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation bought the Columbia Theatre in Sharon. This theater had 1750 seats and was built in 1922. They moved all the collected items to storage. The foundation's office then moved to the Columbia Theatre. The original "For-profit" company was officially closed.

Inducting New Groups

The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation usually planned to induct sixteen vocal groups each year. However, this has been delayed because of a lack of money. Groups are inducted into different categories. These categories are based on the decade when the groups were popular, like the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. There is also a category for duos.

The foundation used to let the public vote for nominees and inductees.

Types of Groups Honored

The Hall of Fame mainly honors vocal groups with three-part harmony. However, other groups can also be inducted. This includes duos or solo singers who have a strong backup harmony group. An example of this is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Closure and Future Hopes

The Vocal Group Hall of Fame's public museum and theater have been closed since 2008. This is because they haven't had enough financial support. The foundation still hopes to open a museum. They want it to be a place where inducted artists can meet and perform to support the foundation.

The Columbia Theatre Project

The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation bought the Columbia Theatre in Sharon in 2001. They hoped to get grant money to fix it up. The state of Pennsylvania had a large grant available if the foundation could raise matching funds.

More than twenty years later, the foundation has not opened the attraction. It also hasn't received enough funding. A lot of work is still needed to renovate the theater and open the foundation's attraction. They also hope to raise money through concerts at the Columbia Theatre.

Restoration work on the theater has stopped because of a lack of money. A new roof was partly installed. The plastering of the dome was finished to make the building watertight.

Volunteers helped remove over 100 tons of debris from the theater. This helped prepare it for renovation.

In November 2004, the museum moved out of Mr. Winner's building. All the foundation's collected items were moved to a special storage area. They are waiting for their new home to be displayed. The Columbia Theatre was meant to be the main office for the foundation. It was also planned to host the yearly induction ceremony. They also wanted to hold benefit concerts there. The museum itself was planned to move to a three-story restaurant building next to the theater. This building would have a vocal group-themed museum, a nightclub, and a bar.

Protecting Artists: The Truth in Music Bill

The Truth in Music Bill was created to protect artists from identity theft. This means stopping fake groups from pretending to be famous ones. Jon Bauman, who leads The Truth In Music Committee, worked with the Vocal Group Hall of Fame on this.

Many artists helped with this effort. They wanted to protect artists from dishonest people. Mary Wilson, from The Supremes, was a big supporter of this bill. She worked for many years to get it passed across the United States. With help from The Recording Academy, Hawaii became the 35th state to pass this bill. Mary Wilson was a great supporter of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation until she passed away.

The Truth in Music Bill has now been adopted by most U.S. states. It helps make sure that people performing under a group's name actually performed on one of their albums. Or they must have the legal right to use that name. This bill especially helps groups like The Platters, The Coasters, The Drifters, and the Marvelettes. These famous groups had been hurt by promoters who used fake versions of their bands.

Inducted Groups

Groups Inducted from 1998 to 2002

Groups Inducted from 2003 to 2007

More to Explore

• List of music museums
• List of vocal groups

See also

In Spanish: Salón de la Fama de los Grupos Vocales para niños