Vito Cole, a learning skills specialist at Wayne State College, has received the honor of being inducted to the Nebraska Hall of Fame for his music ability.  

Cole first heard of his accomplishment during the month of July. However, the news wasn’t confirmed until January of 2023. He was picking up his daughter from school in Allen when he received the news from Matt Casey, the son of Jim Casey. Jim Casey was the singer and songwriter that is responsible for starting the Nebraska Hall of Fame in the first place.  

 Cole said that the day that he would hear that he made the Nebraska Hall of Fame, it almost never happened. Cole tried to retire three years before he heard the news, because of a neurological disorder called essential tremors which made it hard to play and sing on stage.  

 Cole has experimented with music for the last 30 years. He started his journey in the musical field when he became a singer at the age of 23. During his time with the band, he didn’t know about the music life, but only knew that he could sing fairly well.    

This band wasn’t his first experience with show business because his own father was a stand-up comedian.  When he was 25, Cole started to experiment with playing the guitar.   

Cole was inspired by many different bands and singers throughout his music career. Some of these influences include Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz and the Black Crows.  

Cole said that he was blown away after hearing the news that he would be on the same level as some of the people that he liked to listen to. He is also a fan of some musicians from Nebraska like Jim Casey or Don Peterson who influenced Cole for the majority of his music career and have passed on now. Cole wanted to say that he would be in the same bracket as his influences.   

“Don’t quit,” Cole said. “Don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not good enough. Find your voice and don’t stop and never question your worth or the worth of your music. Somebody will like it somewhere and let it change your life.”   

People who are interested in Cole’s music can find it on Spotify.