Music of New Jersey

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Music of the United States
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One of the most renowned musicians from New Jersey is probably Bruce Springsteen, who became a 1980s icon with complex lyrical stories about teens growing up in Freehold and other economically depressed areas of New Jersey. In addition, Jersey native Frank Sinatra became one of the most popular singers of the 20th century. Francis Hopkinson of Bordentown, is perhaps the first American composer. William Dunlap wrote the first American opera, The Archers. Other famous Jersey musicians include Lauryn Hill, Whitney Houston, and Jon Bon Jovi.

Contents 1 Jazz 2 Hardcore punk 3 Hip Hop 4 Prominent musicians from or with connections to New Jersey 5 Music locales and events in New Jersey 6 References

[edit] Jazz

In the early 20th century, Newark was an important center for jazz innovation. James P. Johnson and other pioneers helped invent stride. Other famous New Jersey jazzmen include bandleader Count Basie and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, who lived in Englewood from 1965 until his death in 1993.

[edit] Hardcore punk

Main article: New Jersey hardcore

New Jersey had many early punk bands, circa 1977-'80, including The Misfits, Shrapnel, and The Pleasure Hounds, and developed several regional, overlapping hardcore punk scenes by 1981-'82.

Proximity to New York and Philadelphia has long tended to draw punk and hardcore bands away from New Jersey, with historic examples including the Bergen County bands The Misfits and Cause For Alarm defecting in one direction, and South Jersey bands such as Sadistic Exploits defecting in the other. Adrenalin OD was probably the most important early hardcore punk band to identify primarily with New Jersey, however there were and continue to be multitudes of others, many of whom are nationally popular.

The members of punk-rock band, Senses Fail are originally from River Vale, New Jersey.

[edit] Hip Hop

• The Sugarhill Gang - All members were born in Englewood, but grew up in New York City - Wrote the single Rapper's Delight which many credit as the first Hip Hop single. Also the term Rap/Rapper is taken from this song.
• Newark, New Jersey and the surrounding area has been home to many influential rap and hip hop artists, including Queen Latifah, The Fugees, Naughty By Nature, Redman, Joe Budden

, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent and Faith Evans.*Martin Munsch was the engineer, that rendered duplication masters and quality controll aspects for all Sugarhill Gang's music from 1989 to 1991 in Hillsdale, New Jersey. He was also responsible for KLF and a multitude of other final recordings of that era.

New Jersey has long been an important area for both rock and rap music.

[edit] Prominent musicians from or with connections to New Jersey

• Bruce Springsteen, who has sung of New Jersey life on most of his albums, hails from Freehold, and is the most popular rock musician to ever come out of the state. Some of his songs that represent New Jersey life are "Born To Run", "Spirit In The Night", "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)", "Thunder Road", "Atlantic City", and "Jungleland".

• Jon Bon Jovi, who hails from Sayreville, reached fame in the 1980's with hard rock outfit Bon Jovi. The band has also written many songs about life in New Jersey including "Livin' On A Prayer" and even named one of his albums after the state (see New Jersey).

• Frank Sinatra, the only child of working-class Italian-American immigrants, was born December 12, 1915 in a tenement at 415 Monroe St. in Hoboken. He sang with a neighborhood vocal group, the Hoboken Four, and appeared in neighborhood theater amateur shows before he became an entertainment legend as an Academy Award winning actor, and one of the most famous male vocalists of all time. Some of his greatest hits include "Strangers In The Night," "My Way," "Luck Be A Lady," and "New York, New York."

• Dionne Warwick was born in East Orange and has had a long career, including nearly 60 charted hits, from "Do You Know The Way to San Jose?" (winning the first of her five Grammys), "Alfie," "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," and "That's What Friends Are For." She is a cousin of Whitney Houston.

• Whitney Houston was born in the city of Newark, but grew up in neighboring East Orange. She had a successful solo career in the 1980's and 1990's, and is best known for her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" which set new records for sales and weeks at number one. Houston has sold well over 180 million records internationally. Her mother is Cissy Houston, winner of two Grammy's in her own right.

• Jazz singer Sarah Vaughan was born in Newark, where she sang in church as a child. Newark was also the birthplace of recording star Connie Francis, Paul Simon, and rappers Queen Latifah and Ice-T.

• Legendary jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie, was born in Red Bank in 1904. In the 1960s, he collaborated on several albums with fellow New Jersey native Frank Sinatra. There is a theater in Red Bank named in his honor.

• Multilingual actor, athlete, writer, and bass-baritone concert singer Paul Robeson was born in Princeton in 1898.

• The Broadway musical Jersey Boys is based on the lives of the members of the Four Seasons, three of whose members were born in New Jersey (Tommy DeVito, Frankie Valli, and Nick Massi)

• Wendy Harry from Blondie was raised in Hawthorne.

• Martin Munsch producer, engineer, (principal owner) of Punkrockrecords was raised in Franklin Lakes, Bergen County, New Jersey. Also responsible for duplication masters and quality control of With Sympathy,A mind Is A Terrible Thing to Taste,among the many such as, My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult, as well as dozens of other Wax Trax releases of the peroid 1990-1992 that had been QC'd by him. Marty Munsch had met the punk band Violent Society at the prominent underground club The Pipeline in Newark, New Jersey, in 1993.

• Former Fugee Lauryn Hill, is a South Orange resident and is hip-hop's best-selling solo female artist. Her 1998 debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, sold 10 million copies internationally.

• Marilyn McCoo, who had hits with the Fifth Dimension and her husband Billy Davis, Jr. hails from Jersey City.

• Blues Traveler was formed at Princeton High School in 1987. John Popper, along with high school buddies drummer Brendan Hill, guitarist Chan Kinchla and the late bassist Bobby Sheehan are all natives of New Jersey.

• Spin Doctors began as Trucking Company in 1989 with Chris Barron (lead singer) and Eric Schenkman and were high school friends of the aformentioned Blues Traveler frontman John Popper at Princeton High School.

• Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show was formed in Union City in 1968

• Four of the five members of the popular new rock group My Chemical Romance hail from New Jersey. Gerard Way, Mikey Way and Frank Iero are from Belleville, and Ray Toro is from Kearny. Some of their more popular songs include "Helena" and "The Ghost of You". The band frequently speak about their home state, and guitarist Frank Iero can be seen on occasion wearing a guitar strap with the letter NJ encircled in a heart. They all know the infamous producer Marty Munsch because of the club The Pipeline in Newark New Jersey.

• Musical artists Fountains of Wayne [1], a group of New Jerseyans who took the name of a semi-famous lawn and garden store [2] on Route 46 in Wayne.

• Zakk Wylde, who is currently the guitarist with Ozzy Osbourne and fronts his own metal band, Black Label Society, was born in Bayonne, and was raised in Jackson Township. Wylde is famous for his signature "Bulls-eye" Gibson Les Paul guitar and is considered to be among the best new guitarists in rock.

• The alternative rock band Dramarama was formed in Wayne in 1982.

• The rock band Monster Magnet hails from Red Bank. The band is best known for their late 90's alt-rock hit "Space Lord."

• Hip-hop's longest running radio show, was founded by two Jerseyans, Special K (Kevin Bonners) and Teddy Ted (Ted Whiting) of Hackensack (known as the Awesome 2), began on New York's WHBI in 1982 and now appears on WPAT-AM.

• Other rap artists, including Irvington's Queen Latifah, the first female rapper to succeed in music, film, and TV, and the Grammy-winning Naughty By Nature of East Orange, who cut 1992's smash hit "O.P.P." Redman, an influential underground figure and Newark native, has recently found commercial success through collaborations with Eminem and the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man.

• Singer/Actor Constantine Maroulis, a popular finalist on the television show, American Idol, Season 4 (2005), spent a good portion of his formative years in Wyckoff, where he graduated from Ramapo High School. Maroulis is developing a television sitcom for ABC based on his family life in New Jersey and the surrounding metropolitan New York City area.

• Ashley Tisdale was born in West Deal, New Jersey. Her songs, such as What I've Been Looking For, Stick To The Status Quo, Bop To the Top, and We're All In This Together were featured in the Disney movie High School Musical.

• Uncle Floyd was raised in Paterson.

• The band Snowball 37 [3], a group of brothers who were inspired by a Kevin Smith reference, is based out of Jersey City.

• Punk music is also an important alternative style in New Jersey, perhaps starting with the band that essentially invented horror punk, The Misfits, who hail from Lodi. In the 90s, The Bouncing Souls, The Fiendz, Sticks and Stones, and Catch 22 were also prominent figures in New Jersey punk. The Cryptkeeper Five are from Hamilton, New Jersey as well as The Checkers.

• The DeLeo brothers of Stone Temple Pilots are both from Point Pleasant. The brothers, Dean and Robert, are the guitarist and bassist for the band.

• Pete Yorn is a singer/songwriter from Montville. He has two albums out: musicforthemorningafter (2001) and Day I Forgot (2003).

• Indie Rock band Suit of Lights are from Totowa, NJ. Their song "Goodbye Silk City" was written in tribute to Paterson, NJ.

• Indie Rock band Green Arrows are from Freehold, NJ.

• Four out of the five members of the 80's Metal group Skid Row are originally from the Jersey Shore area. The band rose to fame in 1989 with hits such as "18 & Life," and "I Remember You."

• Progressive Metal outfit Symphony X formed in North Jersey in 1994.

• American Idol season 4 contestant Anwar Robinson, considered to be one of AI's most talented male singers, was born in Newark and grew up in East Orange and Montclair. He currently teaches music at Edison Middle School in West Orange

• Indie Rock band Yo La Tengo makes its home in Hoboken.
• Glenn Danzig is an accomplished singer and musician, and the creative force behind The Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He is one of the most influential individuals in dark rock music.

• The Grammy-winning Naughty By Nature of East Orange cut 1992's smash hit "O.P.P."

• Redman, an influential underground figure and Newark native, has recently found commercial success through collaborations with Eminem and the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man.

• The Catch 22 band originated in East Brunswick as well as the band Streetlight Manifesto, which was created by former Catch 22 members.

• Ted Leo of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey and went on to write The Goldfinch and The Red Oak Tree; a song about his love for the state.

• The Heavy Metal band Divinity Destroyed is from Toms River, New Jersey

• Thrash metal band Overkill is from northern New Jersey, although a few of their founding members were from Queens.

• Hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey, Franke Previte was lead singer for 80s band Frankie and the Knockouts. Previte won an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Music and Best Song for "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1987.

• Hardcore Bands,The Dillinger Escape Plan, Folly,and The Number 12 Looks Like You, all hail from Jersey, as well as screamo band Thursday.

• Fountains of Wayne, an American indie rock band, take their name from a lawn-ornament store in Wayne, New Jersey, called "Fountains of Wayne", not far from Montclair, New Jersey.

• The Jonas Brothers, a pop/punk trio consisting of Kevin, Joeseph, and Nicholas Jonas

• My Chemical Romance, a five piece emo rock group that hail from Belleville and Kearny except for drummer Bob Bryer who is from Chicago.

• Hip-hop artist Sister Souljah lived in Englewood, and attended Rutgers University.

[edit] Music locales and events in New Jersey

• Asbury Park, is home of The Stone Pony, where Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes frequented early in their careers, and which is still considered by many to be a "Mecca" for up-and-coming Jersey Shore sound musicians.

• The Velvet Underground gave their first performance as a band at Summit High School in Summit, New Jersey. Songs included "There She Goes Again" and "Heroin."

• Legendary rock band Queen (touring with Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers) chose a New Jersey venue - the Continental Airlines Arena - to perform their first USA concert in 23 years on October 16, 2005. The crowd surprised them with a strong reaction and plentiful participation, even in what were thought to be the lesser-known songs.

• Princeton Record Exchange, the Northeast's largest independent record store, was founded in 1980 and is located in Princeton, New Jersey. They have been featured in the New York Times and in Billboard Magazine, and have been praised by LCD Soundsystem in Wired Magazine. On a note of trivia, they have employed Micky of Ween before the band's rise to fame.

• THE Blanks 77 The most prominent punk band of the 1990's and are still on the forefront of punk. They are popular worldwide and have influenced 2 generations (if not more) of rockers.

• THE Broken Heroes Bassist, Timothy Miller is also the bassist for the Blanks 77.

• The Blanks 77 Drummer, Chad Phelps is also the drummer for the infamous band NIBLICK HENBANE.

• Dean Dean & The Sex Machines Have had guitarist from The Broken Heroes and The Blanks 77.

• Green Day's biggest concert in the USA was at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

• The Dirt Club, world famous rock club, Bloomfield New Jersey mid 1970's to late 1980's

• The Pipeline Club, world famous punk and industrial club. Newark, New Jersey 1985 to 1997.

• The Brighton Bar, New Jersey shore punk venue

[edit] References

Blush, Steven. American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Many inaccurate notations were noted. Feral House. 2001. ISBN 0-922915-717-7