From Queens to stardom

Music’s superstars hail from Queens

From Tony Bennett to KISS to 50 Cent, the borough has an iconic history

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

Queens is known as “The World’s Borough” because of our diversity, and the same can be said about the notables of the music world who have called this place home.

Ninety-five-year-old Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but he was born in Long Island City and grew up in Astoria. He named a 1987 album in honor of that western Queens neighborhood which has now become one of New York City’s hippest. Bennett has recorded hits as “Who Can I Turn To?” “For Once in My Life,” “I Wanna Be Around” and “Rags to Riches.” What is remarkable about Bennett has been his willingness to work with younger talent, as evidenced by his friendship with Lady Gaga. He held a retirement concert in Radio City Music Hall last August. Tony’s voice was still quite strong despite having battled Alzheimer’s disease since 2016.

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel remain the most famous alumni of Forest Hills High School. Popular singles such as “Sounds of Silence,” “Homeward Bound,” “At the Zoo,” “Hazy Shade of Winter,” “Mrs. Robinson” (from the 1967 classic film “The Graduate” and the Grammy-winning “Bridge Over Troubled Water” made Simon & Garfunkel the best-selling recording duo of all time until they were surpassed two decades later by Hall & Oates.

After their breakup in 1970, both men went on to have successful solo careers, with Simon, the songwriter of the duo, not surprisingly having more success. When he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I asked him at his press conference about the opening lyric of his 1973 hit single “Kodachrome,” in which he sang, “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.” I asked Simon if that was a general teenage angst line or if it was an actual reference to our alma mater. “That was about my experience at Forest Hills High School. A lot of my old teachers let me know they weren’t happy with me!” he replied. Forest Hills High School was also the alma mater for those pioneers of punk rock, the Ramones. They knew how to make the most of three chords in a song as evidenced by “Rock ’n’ Roll High School,” “Rockaway Beach” and “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Lead singer Jeffrey Hyman, better known as Joey Ramone, tragically succumbed to lymphoma at age 50 in 2001. A Ramones-themed Forest Hills High School T-shirt is one of the biggest sellers in the souvenir shop of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, which indicates how their popularity is multigenerational.

The best guitarist to ever come out of Forest Hills High School was Leslie West, who was known as Leslie Weinstein when he was roaming the halls there. West is best known for being the lead guitarist and vocalist for Mountain, which had a giant smash in 1970 with “Mississippi Queen.” It was shocking to hear it on WABC back in the day because it had a far harder sound than what we were accustomed to from Top 40 radio at the time.

Debonair Burt Bacharach, who just turned 94 last month, was born in Kansas City but his family relocated to Kew Gardens when he was young. He graduated from Forest Hills High School in 1946. The list of hit songs he has composed could fill a telephone directory. “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” “Alfie,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “That’s What Friends Are For” and “Promises, Promises” barely scratch the surface.

Jazz legend Louis Armstrong is claimed by both his native New Orleans, where the city’s airport is named after him, and Corona, where he lived most of his adult years. Armstrong’s joyous take on the theme from the Broadway show “Hello, Dolly!” kept Beatles songs from the top slot on the Billboard charts for a good chunk of 1964.

“What a Wonderful World,” which is Armstrong’s second bestknown song after “Hello, Dolly!” was not a big hit when it was initially released in 1968 but became popular when it was part of the soundtrack to the 1987 Robin Williams film, “Good Morning, Vietnam.” “What a Wonderful World” has a strong local connection as it was co-written by Forest Hills Gardens resident Bob Thiele. Joey Ramone recorded a cover of the song shortly before his untimely passing.

With their memorable makeup, unpredictable on-stage antics, and solid musicianship, KISS became one of the most popular live bands in rock history. Co-founders Gene Simmons (real name: Chaim Witz) and Paul Stanley (real name: Stanley Eisen) grew up in Jackson Heights and Flushing, respectively. Among their best-known hits are “Rock & Roll All Night,” “Beth,” “Christine Sixteen,” “Detroit Rock City” and “I Was Made for Loving You.”

Cyndi Lauper’s “She So Unusual” album released in 1983, featured such hit singles as “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” “All Through the Night,” “Time After Time” and “She Bop.” It remains one of the biggest-selling debut albums by an artist. Lauper, who grew up on 104th Street in Ozone Park, would go on to have more hits with “True Colors,” “Drive All Night,” “Goonies R Good Enough” and “Money Changes Everything.”

Walter Egan from Forest Hills Gardens and one-time Kew Gar-

The Biggest dens resident Henry Gross were both known for having one giganNames tic ’70s hit each. Egan’s “Magnet and Steel,” which was co-produced by Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, was one of the catchiest tunes from the summer of 1978, which was a terrific time for Top 40 radio. Although that was his only hit as a recording artist, he had success as a composer. His “Hot Summer Nights” made it into the Top 40 by a band called Night, while the legendary Gram Parsons recorded his “Hearts on Fire.” Gross’ moment in the sun occurred during the summer of 1976 when “Shannon,” a song he wrote about the passing of an Irish setter owned by Beach Boys guitarist Carl Wilson, hit No. 5 on the Billboard singles charts. Gross was also a founding member of the popular 1950s and early ’60s tribute band Sha Na Na, along with longtime friend and Martin Van Buren alum, Jon “Bowzer” Bauman. Sha Na Na was the most out-of-place act at the most famous rock festival of all time, 1969’s Woodstock held in Bethel, NY. With his multi-octave voice and matinee idol looks, Woodhaven’s Brian Hyland was a frequent guest on “American Bandstand” when it taped in Philadelphia during the JFK administration. Hyland first achieved prominence in the summer of 1960 with the

Forest Hills’ the Ramones, the pioneers of punk who had a huge hit with “Rockaway Beach,” performing in Toronto in 1976. PHOTO BY P.B. TOMAN / WIKIPEDIA

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novelty hit “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.” It told the harrowing tale of a young lady who suddenly became quite timid when she wore a certain skimpy bathing suit for the first time. The tune hit the top spot on the Billboard singles chart. His next big hit was 1962’s “Sealed with a Kiss,” a puppy love tune that would later be a hit for both Gary Lewis & the Playboys and Bobby Vinton. Hyland’s best recording was his 1970 hit version of Curtis Mayfield’s “Gypsy Woman.”

The Shangri-Las were a quartet from Cambria Heights who attended Andrew Jackson High School in 1963. They hit it big the following year with “Leader of the Pack,” a tale of forbidden and ill-fated love between a “nice girl” and the head of a biker gang. Their follow-up hit was the poignant “Remember Walking in the Sand,” a song about summer love that wasn’t meant to last. Three more hits followed: the upbeat “Give Him a Great Big Kiss,” “Long Live Our Love,” and the moody “I Can Never Go Home Again.” The group broke up in 1968, but lead singer Mary Weiss, who is the only surviving member of the group, still occasionally performs.

The Toys were a trio formed in Jamaica and whose lead singer was Barbara Harris. They are best remembered for their 1965 smash “A Lover’s Concerto,” which was based on an 18th century classical piece, “Minuet in G major,” written by Christian Petzhold. The song was featured in the 1994 Richard Dreyfuss film “Mr. Holland’s Opus” and 2020’s “Palm Springs,” which starred Andy Samberg. The Toys’ other chart record was the lively “Attack!” which made it to No. 18 on the Billboard singles chart in 1966.

Linda Scott (real name: Lisa Sampson) was born in Flushing in 1945, although her family moved across the Hudson to Teaneck, NJ, when she was 11 years old. She had a pair of big hits in 1961 with “I’ve Told Every Little Star” and “Don’t Bet Money, Honey.” The latter was a catchy tune in which she is warning her current boyfriend not to make any longrange plans. That was cynical coming from someone who was still in high school when she recorded it.

Heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest all hail from England. Queens has a well-known entrant in this category thanks to Anthrax founder, lead guitarist and vocalist Scott Ian, who grew up in Bayside. Ian got unexpected and unwanted publicity when letters containing anthrax were mailed to various individuals by an assailant shortly after 9/11. Ian fumed to the media that this sick individual was making life a lot harder for his band as promoters thought twice about booking them.

Queens may be best known for its contributions to the hip-hop world. Any discussion of the genre must begin with the pride of Hollis, RUN-DMC. Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Jason “Jam Master J” Mizell formed the group in the early 1980s. They came to national prominence in 1986 by collaborating with Aerosmith on a cover of “Walk This Way.”

The guys quickly become fashion icons because of their love of Kangol hats, basketball warmup jackets and pants, and their favorite sneaker brand, which they celebrated in their hit “My Adidas.” Sadly, Mizell was killed in Queens in October 2002. Two suspects were apprehended in August 2020. RUN-DMC was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

LL Cool J has been a television star for so long that it is easy to forget he is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame because of his stellar and lengthy recording career. The “NCIS: Los Angeles” costar, born James Todd Smith, grew up in St Albans. He is one of the few recording artists who has had hits both singing (“All I Have,” “Doin’ It” and “Hey Lover”) and rapping (“Mama Said Knock You Out,” “Going Back to Cali” and “I’m Bad”). He still has plenty of friends and family members living in St. Albans and engages in numerous nonprofits whose mission is to help young people.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson grew up in South Jamaica. He had a hardscrabble life, and he certainly experienced the lyrics he recorded. He dealt drugs, was arrested numerous times and was shot. His 2003 debut album, “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” quickly went platinum thanks to the hit single “In Da Club.” Jackson has done acting and been involved in boxing promotion in the ensuing years.

Cheryl James and Sandra Denton met as Queensborough Community College nursing students in 1985 and were coworkers at Sears in Jamaica. A colleague was studying record production and was able to get the duo into a studio. It wasn’t long until big hits, many of whom were nominated for Grammy Awards, started coming for Salt-N-Pepa. The best-known are “Push It,” “Whatta Man” and “Let’s Talk About Sex.”

Last year cable network Lifetime televised a dramatized biography of their lives. On a Zoom press conference to promote the film, I asked Denton if she had any plans to return to Queensborough Community College to complete her nursing degree. “That’s a hard no!” she replied with a smile. Before there was Cardi B, there was Nicki Minaj. She was born in Trinidad but moved to South Ozone Park at the age of 5. Like Cardi B, Minaj has had hit recordings, but is really known for being an entertainer who mixes comedy and choreography both on stage and in videos. They are both gossip column staples. Minaj’s breakthrough hit was 2011’s “Super Bass,” which remains her signature record.

Rap legend LL Cool J flashing his priceless smile in Hollis in 2013. Three Queens classics: Prolific songwriter Burt Bacharach, 94, (“I Say a Little Prayer,” “That’s What Friends Are For”) grew up in Kew Gardens and went to Forest Hills High School years before the duo to his right; Art Garfunkel, left, and Paul Simon became the all-time best-selling duo with late sixties’ hits such as “Mrs. Robinson” and “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)”; Long Island City native Tony Bennett, born Anthony Benedetto, went from “Rags to Riches” in the early 1950s and has been belting out standards with his beautiful baritone voice until retiring from performing earlier this year at age 95, after a recent successful run with contemporary artist Lady Gaga. COURTESY PHOTOS / FILE

Ozone Park’s Cyndi Lauper was a mid-eighties sensation with “True Colors” and her infectious personailty. COURTESY PHOTO / FILE