Cyndi Lauper has achieved pop icon status, thanks to such career-making hits as "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," “Time After Time,” “She Bop,” "True Colors and “Change of Heart." She was also a Tony Award-winner for scoring the 2013 Broadway musical Kinky Boots; Lauper is also the winner of two GRAMMY Awards and one Emmy
While mostly raised in Queens, Lauper reportedly lived in Valley Stream with her sister, and her father was a Long Islander. Among her early gigs, with the band Blue Angel, were performances at Lido Beach's Malibu and Hofstra University's Rathskeller; more on these early performance venues for Lauper can be read here.
Some of the Cyndi Lauper-related resources that Nassau County Libraries has on-hand can be found here.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on April 28, 2025. Updated on May 8, 2025.
Led Zeppelin’s ties to Long Island may not be as immediately obvious as their British roots, but the area played a key role in the band’s early American breakthrough. When Led Zeppelin embarked on their very first U.S. tour in late 1968, they opened for Vanilla Fudge -- a band that had already achieved significant stateside popularity. Vanilla Fudge's drummer, Carmine Appice, was a Long Island resident with personal ties to both Long Beach and Oceanside. Appice's powerful drumming and the band’s psychedelic, heavy rock sound helped pave the way for Zeppelin’s reception among American rock audiences.
The tour was a crucial stepping stone for Led Zeppelin, allowing them to build momentum in major markets, including venues not far from Long Island. Though Zeppelin would soon eclipse their tourmates in popularity, the influence of Long Island’s rock scene—and figures like Appice—shouldn’t be overlooked. Moreover, as Led Zeppelin’s legend grew, so did their fanbase in the New York metro area, where Long Island played a pivotal role in radio play, record sales, and sold-out arena shows throughout the 1970s. The band’s history is often told on a global scale, but local connections like these offer deeper insight into how their legend took root in the U.S.
Prior to playing with Vanilla Fudge, below is a photo of Keith Relf and (future Led Zeppelin guitarist) Jimmy Page of The Yardbirds performing live at The Action House in Island Park circa 1968. Here is more information about Led Zeppelin's 1969 show at Carnegie Hall.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on July 1, 2025.
While John Lennon and his bandmates in The Beatles are generally associated with Liverpool, England, Lennon was documented to have lived on Long Island in his post-Beatles life. Lennon, with wife Yoko Ono Lennon, reportedly purchased a "waterfront mansion overlooking Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island’s North Shore in 1979. Video of Lennon at this home, known as Cannon Hill, can be seen here and here.
Some of the Nassau County Libraries resources on-hand with relation to Lennon -- including his time with The Beatles -- can be found here.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on May 28, 2025
LL Cool J is documented to have been born in Bay Shore, before moving to Queens. His first album was produced by Lido Beach native Rick Rubin, who co-founded Def Jam Records. LL Cool J has also been inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. A Manhasset home believed to have been owned by LL Cool J can be seen here. Video filmed of LL Cool J at a family wedding in Southold can be seen here. Some of the resources that Nassau County Libraries has related to the hip-hop pioneer can be found here.
LL Cool J is referenced and shown within the newly-released, Tribeca-screened documentary about Long Island's history with hip-hop called The Sixth Borough. Research related to this film was contributed by the Freeport Memorial Library's own Regina Feeney, who is thanked within the film's end credits.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on April 16, 2025. Updated on June 12, 2025.