TICKETS FOR THE 2026 KANSAS MUSIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY & CONCERT
BELOIT, Kan. — The Kansas Music Hall of Fame (KSMHOF) will honor its 2026 class of inductees during a ceremony and concert on Saturday, May 30, at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts Street, in Lawrence, Kansas.
The 2026 inductees include The Get Up Kids, Andy McKee, Daryl Schiff, Brody Buster, Kansas City’s Memorial Hall, Joe “Guido” Welsh, Matt Betton Sr., Mainstreet, and Steven Smith.
The Get Up Kids, a Kansas City–based Midwest emo band, are widely regarded as pioneers of the emo genre and have influenced artists such as Fall Out Boy, Saves the Day, Taking Back Sunday, and The Wonder Years.
Fingerstyle guitarist Andy McKee, originally from Topeka, gained international recognition in 2006 when his performance video “Drifting” went viral on YouTube. He has since performed in more than 40 countries, contributed to recordings by Josh Groban and Lee Ritenour, and appeared on Prince’s Welcome 2 Australia tour.
The late Daryl Schiff of Sharon led the country rock band The Schiffters, which featured his daughter, country music icon and Kansas Music Hall of Fame inductee Martina McBride, and his son Marty. The group performed for more than 15 years in southern Kansas, appeared at the Grand Ole Opry, and recorded two solo albums, including Satisfied (2021). Schiff passed away January 14, 2025, at age 86.
Brody Buster, a blues artist and multi-instrumentalist from Paola, was a harmonica child prodigy who has appeared on national television programs including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Dateline, Crook & Chase, and The Jon Stewart Show. He has performed with Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, The Four Tops, B.B. King, and Keb’ Mo’.
Kansas City’s Memorial Hall has hosted live entertainment since 1925, welcoming legendary performers such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Peter Gabriel, and Patsy Cline in her final performance.
Joe “Guido” Welsh is a Grammy-nominated recording artist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, recording engineer, and producer from Kansas City. After working as a leading engineer and producer in Kansas City studios, he relocated to Nashville, where he released 10 studio albums. His album Nothing Left to Say received a Grammy nomination.
The late Matt Betton Sr. of Manhattan was a musician, educator, and bandleader who served as Executive Director Emeritus of the International Association for Jazz Education. He founded Manhattan Enterprises, Betton’s Family Music Center, and Jazz Education Press, and was inducted into the Kansas Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. Betton also founded American Federation of Musicians Local No. 169 in Manhattan, co-founded the KSU Summer Band Camp, and helped establish the National Stage Band Camps and Stan Kenton Jazz Clinics. He passed away in 2002.
Mainstreet, a Manhattan-based horn band, has performed throughout northeast Kansas for more than 40 years. Half of the ensemble includes three former music professors who have taught in Kansas high schools and colleges.
Steven Smith of Olathe is a musician, conductor, composer, and educator who has conducted the Olathe Community Orchestra since 1985 and appeared as a guest conductor with numerous regional orchestras as well as the Mexico City Philharmonic. He previously directed orchestras and taught music theory at Paseo Academy and currently maintains a violin and viola studio at the Metropolitan Conservatory in Olathe.
The live induction ceremony will take place Saturday, May 30, at Liberty Hall in Lawrence. Tickets are $40 and are available at ksmhof.org or through the Liberty Hall box office. A televised broadcast of the ceremony is scheduled to air in early August.
Established in August 2004, the Kansas Music Hall of Fame honors musicians, music professionals, and institutions that have made significant contributions to Kansas and the greater Kansas City region. The organization seeks to recognize achievements of the past and present while encouraging future generations. For more information, visit ksmhof.org.
