The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc. was an American-based hall of fame that honored vocal groups throughout the United States.  James E. Winner Jr. was the financial and managing partner of the For-profit corporation known as "The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc." Winner and Anthony F. Butala were the corporate officers/stockholders of The Museum Company.  They set up an office located at Winner's business address on State Street in Sharon, Pennsylvania.

Control of the hall of fame has changed over the years. It went into hiatus and was closed in 2008.

History

Founding
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was conceived by Butala. He came up with the idea of the museum/hall of fame. Winner, a successful local businessman and entrepreneur, agreed to fund and operate the project. Butala is also the founding member of the famous 50s & '60s singing group The Lettermen. He is the only living original member of The Lettermen and still performs with the group.

"The Vocal Group Hall of Fame & Museum Company Inc." opened in 1998 followed by The Vocal Group Hall of Fame 501 (c)3 Non-Profit Foundation. The foundation was formed and operated by attorneys and accountants employed by Winner.

The foundation was created to care for, protect and display the Inductees' memorabilia and to enjoy the benefits of a non-profit foundation. The foundation began collecting donations of memorabilia from the inductees and began seeking grants from the city of Sharon and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It also solicited donations from a hopeful supportive public.
 
Shortly after the foundation was created, Winner renovated the Museum building. He later opened the Museum and set up headquarters at the newly renovated museum building that he owned across the street from his offices in Sharon.

2001
Inductions were scheduled and promoted for September 11, 2001 (9/11). The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Inductions and were to be produced behind the museum building in a parking lot. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Museum Company Inc. had begun the 2001 Inductions preparation, production, and promotion when the 9/11 terror attack crisis left artists/inductees unable to travel to Inductions. All airplane had been grounded, causing the 2001 inductions to be postponed to October 4, 2001.

In the time between 9/11 and October 4, 2001, a few members of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame museum staff went to a concert at the nearby Cleveland Indians minor league baseball stadium in Ohio to see Cool & the Gang, Village People and Disco Explosion. They liked the production and show management. The group made an offer to the concert producer. Bob Crosby. Cosby got his start in the entertainment business at Dick Clark Productions in 1976. He has almost a was contracted to produce the 2001 Vocal Group Hall of Fame Production. Crosby accepted the offer and successfully staged the concert. He recorded video and audio of the 2001 Inductions and marketed and packaged the first DVD of inductions.

Prior quarters and annual projections showed low attendance to the museum and unsatisfying ticket sales to both the museum and Inductions. This caused tensions between Winner and Butala. Batula was not very helpful because he was on tour most of the time with The Lettermen. This issue led to the resolution of all matters by dissolving the interest and partnership in the For-profit Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Museum Company Inc.

Butala wanted his dream to continue. He suggested to Winner to have Crosby take over the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation and rent the museum building from Winner. Butala and Winner closed the Vocal Group Museum Company Inc. and Crosby took over operations of The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation as President and CEO.

Soon after Crosby took over the operation and administration of the foundation, Winner's attorneys and accountants, the board of directors of the foundation, resigned.

Within a couple of months of Crosby's appointment as President and CEO of the foundation, he did not expect the rental price, $1 a year rent plus utilities and maintenance of the building, to change. However, the rent had increased to $12,000 per month. Other bills and debts not agreed to became the foundation's responsibility instead of The Museum Company's responsibility. Winner demanded that all museum renovation bills become foundation bill. This ended any chance for the foundation to survive with debt said to be over $1million. A final settlement was accepted after lawsuits were filed. There was no longer any financial obligation due to Winner by the foundation.

As differences grew, it became clear to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation that the Foundation could no longer afford to rent or occupy Winners museum building. The Foundation was not able to provide for the museum and the foundation's past bills. It was left with no alternative other than to not renew the offered lease and find a new location.

2002
On June 14, 2002, The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation purchased the 1750-seat 1922 Columbia Theatre, an early Warner Brothers theater in Sharon. They moved all the foundation's memorability to storage and ended the lease in Winners building. The Foundation office relocated to the Columbia Theatre. The For-profit Vocal Group Hall of Fame Museum Company Inc. was closed.

Inductions
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation typically inducts sixteen Vocal Groups annually and has been delayed lacking the funding. Artists are inducted within categories. Each category has an original group member, evolved group member or a family member as an inductee representative. These categories include 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and duos. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation releases a public ballot that allowed anyone to vote for both the nominees and the inductees.

Categories
While only vocal groups having three-part harmony are eligible, other categories such as duos and Lead solo vocalists with a harmony group may be inducted if they have a legitimate backup harmony group with backing harmony singers. An example of this would be Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Closure
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame public operations, including the theater and museum, have been closed and on hiatus since 2008 due to the lack of financial support. It continue its mission to establish and operate a museum attraction where the inductees meet and perform in support of the foundation.

Columbia Theatre
On June 14, 2001, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation purchased the 1750-seat Columbia Theatre in Sharon "with the promise of grant funding to follow". The Commonwealth did have a multi-million dollar grant if the foundation could meet the match.  Over twenty years after it was first created, the Foundation has not opened the attraction or receive adequate funding. Much is still needed to renovate, open and operated the foundation's attraction and become capable of raising funds on its own through benefit concerts at The Columbia Theatre. Meanwhile, the restoration of the theatre has stalled due to the lack of funding. A part of a new roof was installed and the plastering of the dome was completed to make a watertight shell.

The Mercer County Correctional Facility and volunteers removed more than 100 tons of debris to help make the theater ready for renovation.

In November 2004, the museum moved out of Winner's 3-story building and relocated to the Columbia Theatre. All of the Foundations memorabilia was moved to temperature-controlled storage waiting for its new home for display. The new location at Columbia Theatre was meant to serve both as The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation's central office and as the location for the annual induction ceremony. It was also intended to host benefit concerts to support the foundation and theatre. The museum was to move to a three-story restaurant building purchased by the foundation. The building was located adjacent to the theater. It would have the restaurant portion becoming a vocal group-themed museum, nightclub piano bar  and bar and grill.

Truth in Music Bill
The Truth in Music bill was created to protect artists from identity theft.  Jon Bauman, chairmen of The Truth In Music Committee has worked with the VGHF. Along with Frank Maffei, bauman has had help from Joe Terry of Danny & The Juniors, Maxine Pinkney of Bill Pinkney, The Original Drifters, Veta & Carl Gardner of The Coasters, Herb Reed and Sonny Turner of The Platters and others. Bauman and Mary Wilson, with Bob Crosby at the foundation office, was able to assist other artists in an effort to protect the artist from fraudulent abuse. Wilson championed the Truth in Music bill for many years throughout the United States. With the help of The Recording Academy, she got Hawaii added to the list of states with the Truth In Music Bill as the 35th state to pass the bill also known as the Truth in Advertising Act. She was one of the best supporters of The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation as Chair of the Artist Advisory Board and continued her support up until her death. The Truth In Music Bill has since been adopted by most U.S. states. It also helps ensure that people who perform in a group using a group's name must actually perform on one of the group's albums or has legal rights to use the name. The main beneficiaries are the surviving members of the Platters, The Coasters, The Drifters and the Marvelettes. These iconic groups had been victimized by Larry Marshak and other promoters of impostor groups.

Inductees

1998–2002

1998
The Ames Brothers
The Andrews Sisters
The Beach Boys
The Boswell Sisters
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Clyde McPhatter & The (Original) Drifters
The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
The Golden Gate Quartet
The Manhattan Transfer
The Mills Brothers
The Platters
The Ravens
Sonny Til & The Orioles
The Supremes

1999
The Coasters
The Delta Rhythm Boys
The Four Seasons
The Four Tops
Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
The Ink Spots
The Jackson Five
Little Anthony & The Imperials
The Modernaires
The Moonglows
Peter, Paul and Mary
The Revelers
The Spinners
The Temptations

2000
The Bangles
Ben E. King and The Drifters
Dion and The Belmonts
Dixie Hummingbirds
The Flamingos
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
The Kingston Trio
The Mamas & The Papas
The Skylarks
The Soul Stirrers
Three Dog Night

2001
Bee Gees
The Chordettes
Eagles
The Four Aces
The Four Freshmen
Gladys Knight and The Pips
The Lennon Sisters
The Lettermen
The McGuire Sisters
Michigan Jake
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Pied Pipers
Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
The Vogues
The Weavers

2002
ABBA
The Chantels
The Clovers
The 5th Dimension
The Five Keys
The Four Knights
The Harptones
Jay and The Americans
The Marcels
The Shirelles
The Skyliners
The Swan Silvertones

2003–2007

2003
The Association
The Charioteers
The Commodores
Danny & The Juniors
Earth, Wind & Fire
The Five Satins
The Four Lads
The Impressions
The Isley Brothers
Martha & The Vandellas
The Merry Macs
Peerless Quartet
The Whispers

2004
Alabama
American Quartet
The Beatles
The Cadillacs
The Crests
The Dells
The Diamonds
The Doobie Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Four Tunes
The Jordanaires
The Marvelettes
The O'Jays
The Penguins
The Ronettes
The Stylistics
The Tokens

2005
The Angels
The Brooklyn Bridge
The Chi-Lites
The Chiffons
The Crystals
The Del-Vikings
The Hilltoppers
The Mel-Tones
The Neville Brothers
The Pointer Sisters
The Rascals
The Righteous Brothers
Sons of the Pioneers
The Spaniels
The Tymes

2006
America
Billy Ward & The Dominoes
Bread
The Byrds
Deep River Boys
The Duprees
The Fleetwoods
Haydn Quartet
The Hi-Lo's
The Hollies
Journey
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Moody Blues
Queen
The Shangri-Las
Simon & Garfunkel

2007
The Capris (1960s)
The Chords (1950s)
The Dixie Cups (1960s)
The Five Red Caps (1940s)
The Four Preps (1950s)
Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs; The Gladiolas (1950s)
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (1970s)
The Hoboken Four (Pioneer Award)
The Jive Five (1960s)
Kool & The Gang (1970s)
The Monkees (1960s)
Ruby & The Romantics (1960s)
Sam & Dave (Duo Award)
Sly & The Family Stone (1960s)
Tony Orlando and Dawn (1970s)
The Traveling Wilburys (1980s)

See also
 List of music museums
 List of vocal groups

References

Music halls of fame
Halls of fame in Pennsylvania
Awards established in 1998
Museums in Mercer County, Pennsylvania
Music museums in Pennsylvania
1998 establishments in the United States
Vocal ensembles
Sharon, Pennsylvania