If nothing else, Russell Faith knows music.

The lifelong Northeast resident has devoted his life and career to the craft, during which he has penned, produced, arranged and played on numerous hit songs and albums, discovered local talents that went on to stardom, and even worked on several motion pictures.

For all these things and more, the music man whose professional career spans more than 40 years was among a group of musicians honored last Friday by the Philadelphia Music Alliance as the class of 2000 inductees into the city's "Walk of Fame."

The Walk of Fame is a stretch of pavement along both sides of South Broad Street, between Juniper and Locust streets, that is similar to the 2-1/2-mile sidewalk in Hollywood that canonizes stars and starlets in concrete.

In addition to Faith, other 2000 honorees include Rob Hyman and Elkins Park native Eric Bazilian, founders of the 1980s rock group the Hooters; Grammy award-winning turntable innovator DJ Jazzy Jeff, who rose to fame as the sidekick of West Philadelphia rapper-turned-actor Will "The Fresh Prince" Smith, a previous Walk of Fame honoree; 1950s and '60s teen idol singer and actor Fabian, who, as the story goes, was discovered on the stoop of his parents' South Philly home; and Kal Rudman, creator of the music industry hit-tracking publication, Friday Morning Quarterback.

A LENGTHY HONOR ROLL

To date, 106 Philadelphians have been honored along the span, also known as the Avenue of the Arts, including twist dance king Chubby Checker; jazz legends Stan Getz, Stanley Clark and Dizzy Gillespie; ageless television personalities Dick Clark and Ed McMahon; songstress Patti LaBelle; female rocker Joan Jett; and rhythm-and-blues crooners Boyz II Men, among others.

The Philadelphia Music Alliance, the agency that has selected the Walk of Fame honorees since its 1986 inception, has saluted those artists and others with bronze plaques that bear their names and a treble clef symbol.

The non-profit agency's goal, said chairman Marc Dicciani, is to promote and preserve Philadelphia's rich musical community. It was founded nearly 15 years ago by local music industry leaders.

The alliance also sponsors a program to donate musical instruments to deserving city youths. Two youngsters were recognized at last week's ceremony for their musical achievements and given free clarinets through the PMA program.

But the day's main purpose was to honor the six local heroes selected as the Alliance class of 2000.

"Today, we pay tribute to a group of individuals responsible for the tremendous legacy of music in Philadelphia," said Dicciani. "Music is one of the greatest gifts this region has given to the world."

Following Dicciani's remarks, WPVI-TV meteorologist Cecily Tynan, the host of the ceremony, began the award presentation.

Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman, who took the Hooters to rock stardom in the mid-1980s, received the first two awards. After meeting at the University of Pennsylvania in the late '70s, guitarist Bazilian, of Montgomery County, and keyboard player Hyman, a Connecticut native, formed the rock band and embarked on a quest to get their music heard.

ON TO BIGGER THINGS

Within a few years, and after "playing at every high school in the tri-state area," said Hyman, the band released its independent debut album Amore, which sold more than 100,000 copies.

Around that same time, in 1984, Hyman collaborated with singer Cyndi Lauper to write the eventual No. 1 single Time After Time, which netted the keyboardist a Grammy award nomination for Song of the Year.

Following the success of Amore, the Hooters were signed to a multi-album deal with Columbia Records. They released 1985's platinum-selling Nervous Night, which spawned the hits Day By Day, And We Danced and All You Zombies.

The group followed up with two more successful Columbia releases that propelled it to worldwide fame and landed the musicians on some of the globe's largest stages.

Though honored to have been nominated for a Grammy and an MTV award, and selected as the recipient of a plaque on the Walk of Fame, Hyman said the Hooters always "took more pride in the shows and performing."

(Hyman's most recent song, Christmas of Love, which he co-wrote and produced, can be found on the soundtrack for The Grinch, the new film starring Jim Carrey.)

Like his bandmate and songwriting partner, Bazilian also has some impressive credits on his post-Hooters resume. The guitarist penned the provocative One of Us, from singer Joan Osborne's Relish album, on which Hyman also worked.

The single reached No. 3 and earned Bazilian a Grammy nomination. (It later was covered by the artist formerly known as The Artist, Prince.)

Both men also co-wrote Private Emotion for Latin recording sensation Ricky Martin.

CHEERS FOR RUSSELL FAITH

While all the 2000 honorees have achieved lofty heights in the music industry, perhaps none has had more longevity than Faith, who began playing guitar professionally in clubs at the tender age of 7.

After realizing that "jazz doesn't pay the bills," Faith tried his hand at songwriting and discovered that he had a knack for crafting sentimental music.

"Playing in clubs, I could only reach one-hundred people a night," he said. "I started writing so that I could touch thousands of people."

By his early 20s, Faith, a Frankford High School graduate, established a relationship with the manager of teen idol Frankie Avalon (also a Walk of Fame inductee) and began writing songs for the singer.

In 1957, Faith penned Bobby Sox to Stockings for Avalon -- it reached No. 5 on the national pop music charts.

He also wrote Somewhere in Your Heart, a top-20 hit for Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra.

Faith has worked with Sarah Vaughn, Nat King Cole, Jose Feliciano, Annette Funicello, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, among others.

His work with these recording artists led to a career in the motion picture industry, during which he scored or penned music for more than 30 feature films.

More recently, Faith took to training younger musicians. He duplicated his earlier success in that field.

Faith the music teacher coached Fox Chase's Andrea McArdle, now an established Broadway star, in the days when she was the first child actor to star in Annie on the stage.

Since then, Faith notes, he has tutored four more young girls who have gone on to portray the mischievous redhead with the heart of gold on Broadway, including Aileen Quinn, who reprised the role in the film version of the musical.

He also helped guide the earlier career of former television star and current motion picture actor Joey Lawrence.

Faith remains dedicated to his craft. He still teaches youngsters hoping to make it big at his Grant Avenue office and at the Newtown (Bucks County) School of Music, which he founded nearly 20 years ago.

Last week's Walk of Fame recognition, however, wasn't the first for Faith by the Philadelphia Music Alliance. In 1994, the organization presented him with its Hall of Fame Founders Award.

"Music is such an expressive tool," he said. "It's the best girlfriend I've ever had."

For more information about the Philadelphia Music Alliance, visit the Web site www.phillymusic.org