Local musician inducted into Syracuse, New York music Hall of Fame
Chris Tso.
Chris Tso, founding member of New York Flyers, receives recognition
– Chris Tso, a Paso Robles-based songwriter, musician, and founding member of the band New York Flyers, was inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Awards Hall of Fame on March 5. The induction was followed by performances on March 6 on WSYR NewsChannel 9’s morning show “Bridge Street” and an evening concert at the Palace Theater in Syracuse.
The Syracuse Area Music Awards Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have achieved top-level success in their musical careers and made a lasting impact on music in Central New York.
The New York Flyers were founded in 1975 by guitarist Chris Tso and keyboardist Phil Dalessandro. After several years of personnel changes, Earl Hamilton joined the band on drums, and Mike Marzullo joined on bass.
A core philosophy of the band was to exceed fans’ expectations with double the performance and production value. Tso and Dalessandro assembled a large stage production that distinguished the group from other touring bands.
With management support, the New York Flyers began performing throughout East Coast venues. Their mix of original songs and rock covers with vocal harmonies helped build their fan base. The band performed at arenas and state fairs with Black Sabbath, Marshall Tucker, Loverboy, Eddie Money, Pat Benatar, Leslie West, Edgar Winter, and others.
The New York Flyers are the only active Central New York band to tour 15 states and Canada, performing more than 2,000 shows at more than 300 venues.
Tso currently performs in San Luis Obispo County with the Cali Coast Duo, the dance-rock band PUSH, as part of the house band at the Pour House in Paso Robles, and with the New York Flyers.
