Welcome to Why Music Matters, a podcast where we examine the power and influence that music can wield in our lives. I’m your host, Jeff Miers.

Today, my guest is podcaster and Western New York music historian Greg Hennessey. 

Through his weekly podcast, In the Flamingo Lounge with Rockabilly Greg, Hennessey shines a necessary light on Buffalo music, celebrating our region’s rich musical history, and honoring the best of the current generation of bands and artists living and working in Western New York. 

Greg served on the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees for 11 years, and is currently the Vice President of the Sportsmens Americana Music Foundation board. That’s where I got to know Greg, in my role as executive director of the SAM Foundation. Greg’s passion for Buffalo music has been a great asset to the Foundation’s music education and community outreach mission. 

Spend any time in the Flamingo Lounge with Greg, and the dude’s love for rockabilly in general - and the seminal early work of Elvis Presley in particular - becomes immediately apparent. He also counts artists like Buddy Holly, Wanda Jackson and the Stray Cats among his favorites, and we talked about all of them during this episode. 

Welcome to Why Music Matters, Rockabilly Greg!