With a record 13 inductees in the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame’s (RIMHOF) class of 2015, organizers decided early on to split the event into two nights of celebration.

Monday, April 20 will see Duke Belaire, George Masso and Bob Petteruti inducted into the Music Hall of Fame at Bovi’s Tavern, 287 Taunton Ave., East Providence, before the weekly performance by the Bovi’s big band led by John Allmark.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Inductions are at 7:30 p.m., and the John Allmark Jazz Orchestra performs at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the door.

“With such a large class this year including three noted jazz musicians, we decided to break up the inductions into two separate events as we did last year for the first time,” said Mederick Bellaire, vice chair of RIMHOF. “This also allows us to hold RIMHOF induction events at noted music venues around the state.”

The choice of Bovi’s was a natural choice, as one of the jazz inductees, Duke Belaire, was founder of the Bovi’s band 40 years ago. Drummer Anthony “Duke” DeCubellis was certainly born to his calling. His father, Ray Belaire, led one of the top New England big bands of the Swing era and also ran The Arcadia Ballroom in downtown Providence where Duke got his start. Following in his dad’s footsteps, he adopted the Belaire stage name and organized the house band at The Celebrity Club, Rhode Island’s first integrated nightspot, backing every major star who came through the area. In 1967, he founded his own big band and secured a Monday night residency at Bovi’s Tavern in East Providence in 1969. Duke is credited with keeping the big band sound alive for the next 25 years. The orchestra, still based at Bovi’s and now under the direction of trumpeter John Allmark, is considered the longest continually running big band in the United States. Born in Providence, Belaire now resides in Cranston.

George Masso was born in Cranston in 1926 and has excelled in just about every area of the music business – as a trombonist, composer, pianist, recording artist, arranger and educator. He played in the national big bands in the 1940s and has recorded as a sideman with some of the biggest names in jazz including Bobby Hackett and The World’s Greatest Jazz Band. He has released a dozen albums as a leader which feature many of his own compositions, and those songs have, in turn, been recorded dozens of times all around the world. He taught music in the Cranston public schools for 11 years and another eight years at the University of Connecticut, mentoring some of New England’s finest musicians.

Robert “Bob” Petteruti is the “dean” of bass players in Rhode Island. Over several generations, he instructed and mentored dozens of our finest players at the Twin City Music stores in Providence and Pawtucket founded in 1932 by his father, guitarist and bandleader Joseph Petteruti. He began his career in 1943 at age 13 and has performed all over the Northeast in every setting. During the last 70 years, he has performed with every major jazz artist to pass through Rhode Island. A fraction of the list of musicians he backed as part of the house bands at The Celebrity Club and The Kings & Queens includes Roy Eldridge, Bobby Hackett, Mose Allison, Zoot Sims and Ben Webster with whom he recorded two albums. Born in Providence, Petteruti now resides in Johnston.

Robert Billington, chair of the RIMHOF notes, “This year’s class of inductees is especially amazing due to the variety of music styles and musical periods that we are recognizing. The thousand Saturday nights that these musicians spent on the road throughout their careers will be recognized this month as their colleagues throughout Rhode Island stand to applaud their successes.”

The Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame, formed in 2011, is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and preserving the legacy of Rhode Island musicians, educators and industry professionals who have made significant contributions to both the national and Rhode Island music scene. This year’s unveiling ceremony on April 26 at Hope Artiste Village, Pawtucket, will see 13 new displays unveiled celebrating the 2015 inductees and bringing the total to 35 inductee exhibits in just four years.

The 2015 RIMHOF unveiling ceremony and Concert is set for Sunday, April 26, 2 p.m. at The Met and Hall of Fame itself, both located within the Hope Artiste Village complex, 999 Main St., Pawtucket, RI. The afternoon event will include performances by The Schemers and Raindogs, Brenda Bennett, Georgie Porgie & The Cry Babies, The Ascots, The Others, and an all-star jam session led by two of this year’s MVP sideman award winners, Marty Ballou and Marty Richards. Sunday’s concert will be preceded by the unveiling of all 13 class of 2015 inductee exhibits.

Tickets for the April 26 event at The Met are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The 2 p.m. unveiling of the inductee exhibits is free and open to the public; a ticket will be required for entrance to the 3 p.m. concert in the Met. Tickets can be purchased at www.rhodeislandmusichalloffame.com.