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THE HIT MEN, CLASSIC ROCK’S LEGENDARY SIDE MEN TO BE HONORED BY MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM™

by Mike Cutino
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THE HIT MEN, CLASSIC ROCK’S LEGENDARY SIDE MEN TO BE HONORED BY MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM™

Unique Touring Supergroup to Celebrate ‘Road Warrior” Award
with Special NYC Homecoming Concert
Saturday, April 27 at the Cutting Room

The Hit Men, L-R: Jeff Ganz, Jimmy Ryan, Lee Shapiro, Russ Velazquez, Steve Murphy
(photo credit: Bobby Bank)

THE HIT MEN are being recognized by the Nashville museum that honors the talented but often overlooked musicians who played on the greatest recordings of all time. For decades, this unique Supergroup’s members have recorded or performed with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and members of The Who, Cheap Trick, Foreigner, Toto, Journey, The Ramones, and dozens more.  “The Hit Men are musicians in a class all their own” – M Music & Musicians Magazine

THE HIT MEN, classic rock’s unique Supergroup of legendary side men, have been selected by the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum™ in Nashville to receive a special award “for their years of dedication to the music, and the countless miles … that they have traveled in delivering so many hits throughout the world.”

After decades recording or performing with classic rock superstars Paul McCartney, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and members of The Who, Cheap Trick, Foreigner, Toto, Journey, The Ramones, and dozens more.

THE HIT MEN: Lee Shapiro (keyboards/vocals, and Frankie Valli’s former musical director), Jimmy Ryan (lead guitar/vocals, Carly Simon’s former musical director), Russ Velazquez (keyboards/percussion/vocals), Jeff Ganz (bass/vocals) and Steve Murphy (drums/vocals) are being   recognized by the Nashville museum that honors the talented but often overlooked musicians who actually played on the greatest recordings of all time.

What the Wrecking Crew meant to the pop music revolution of the ‘60s, THE HIT MEN have meant to some of the most indelible hits of the ‘70s, ‘80s and beyond. A Supergroup like no other, it’s only now that the evolution of THE HIT MEN’S story – fueled, in part, by their countless first-hand experiences as eyewitnesses to rock history – has become a revelation.

And now the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum™ has made it official.

Joe Chambers, founder and CEO of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum™, notes that the Road Warrior recognition “is different from the honors we normally present to the musicians who have spent most of their careers in the confines of the studio.”

“The Road Warriors, in addition to their work in the studio, also take the music to the people,” says Chambers. “Night after night, month after month, year after year, they are out there keeping the music alive and keeping it real, seldom getting the recognition that they all richly deserve. The Musicians Hall of Fame takes great pride in recognizing THE HIT MEN for their years of dedication to the music, and the countless miles ― which nobody sees ― that they have traveled in delivering so many hits throughout the world.”

The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum™, a premiere Nashville attraction, is the one and only museum in the world that honors the talented musicians who actually played on the greatest recordings of all time. 

“It’s an incredible honor to be recognized for the work we’ve each put into our careers supporting the greatest names in the music industry,” says founding member Lee Shapiro. “Hitmakers from every style of music have seen it desirable to book us on their sessions and tours – everybody from classic rock to pop to disco has used THE HIT MEN on their recordings and performances and we’re forever grateful that this prestigious institution would honor us in this way.”

True to the spirit of the Road Warrior Award, classic rock’s unique Supergroup of legendary side men are currently on their 2019 U.S. tour, aimed at delivering even more of the hits they first played with the original superstars, with additional classics emerging in their shows as the tour marches on.

THE HIT MEN continue to recreate their classics while proving again and again that you absolutely can teach old dogs new “tracks.”

THE HIT MEN
Road Warrior Award

New York homecoming show Saturday April 27 
Cutting Room 44 E. 32nd St. NYC. 
Showtime 7:30 p.m. Tickets $35-$75 www.thecuttingroomnyc.com. 

HIT MEN ON THE WEB:

www.thehitmenlive.com
www.facebook.com/thehitmenlive
www.twitter.com/thehitmenlive

WATCH & LISTEN:     

The Hit Men’s Jimmy Ryan on The Beatles Channel/Sirius XM

THE HIT MEN 2019 NEW YORK AREA TOUR DATES

April 20: Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ
April 27: The Cutting Room, NYC
June 13: The Paramount, Huntington, NY
June 15: Broadway Theater, Pitman, NJ

More dates to come!