Joe Nardone & The All Stars

Inducted Members: Dave Dunsavage, Leo “Lefty” Harkins, Joe Nardone Sr., Jimmy Shaffer, Carl Swinski

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in Luzerne County who doesn’t know the name of Joe Nardone, the performer, concert promoter and record store owner. Over the past six decades or so, Nardone has moved seamlessly through the industry. It’s a wonder that he has been able to juggle these duties simultaneously, let alone do it at a level that oozes professionalism and grace.

Joe Nardone & The All Stars were one of the iconic bands of the late 1950s in Luzerne County. The frontman Nardone, as well as core members Dave Dunsavage, Leo “Lefty” Harkins, Jimmy Shaffer and Carl Swinski, delivered rock and roll and doo-wop sounds to a largely youthful audience. They were one of the first local bands to bring those styles to the forefront of the Luzerne County music scene.

The All Stars were the house band for a few of the most important music establishments of Luzerne County’s rock and roll peak. They were the regulars at Sans Souci during the summer months and the Stardust Ballroom in Wilkes-Barre during the winter. At their peak, the All Stars recorded songs like “Caravan” and “Shake a Hand,” both of which were showcases for Nardone’s signature saxophone.

Nardone and his bandmates have shared stages with some of the biggest rock and roll and doo-wop artists, from their local contemporaries to national recording artists. Many of these shows were organized (or co-organized) and promoted by Nardone himself, emphasizing his work as perhaps Luzerne County’s greatest advocate for live music. Aside from the shows that the All Stars themselves participated in, Nardone is responsible for bringing a number of important rock artists to the area, from Neil Diamond and Billy Joel to KISS.

The brand of Joe Nardone & The All Stars has undoubtedly been aided by the great success and influence of Nardone’s record stores. Nardone opened his first record store in the Wyoming Valley in 1960. That store was in downtown Wilkes-Barre, a prime location that was later hit hard, both physically and financially, when Hurricane Agnes tore through the area in 1972.

The flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes made the Wyoming Valley Mall the central hub of retail in Luzerne County and, coincidentally, Nardone had opened his first Gallery of Sound store in the mall earlier in 1972. Gallery of Sound became the premier record store in Luzerne County as the mall’s popularity took off, and the store itself expanded to new locations throughout the region in the years that followed.

Gallery of Sound has been a springboard for many local artists to distribute their music in a physical format, and the business has persisted through the rise of music streaming platforms. Locations in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties continue to be considered some of the most comprehensive record stores in Northeast Pennsylvania for national and local music offerings.

For all of the praise he has received over the years, Nardone knows very well how to pay it back to the community and other artists. In 2022, he and local newsman Bill O’Boyle established the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame, honoring local artists who have made a difference in their respective artistic fields. As a member of the Hall of Fame’s initial committee, Nardone had a hand in shaping the organization’s mission and goals, and was awarded a Founder’s Award by the committee at the Hall of Fame’s first induction ceremony.

In the ultimate sign of respect for Nardone’s accomplishments, he and the All Stars were chosen by the entertainment committee to be among the Hall of Fame’s inaugural inductees. In truth, any of Nardone’s three major career threads would have made him worthy of induction, but piecing them all together tells the story of an entertainment legend who has done more than his fair share for the local music scene.