Music of New Jersey

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The American state of New Jersey has a diverse musical culture and history reflecting its diverse population and history.

Official symbols

New Jersey does not have a state song.^[1][2]

The square dance is "the American Folk Dance of the State of New Jersey".^[3]

Popular music

Some of the most renowned modern popular musicians from New Jersey are Hoboken native Frank Sinatra, who was one of the most popular singers of the 20th century; and The Four Seasons (group) who had their first No. 1 hit record, "Sherry", in 1962. They were the first group to have a falsetto lead: Newark native, Frankie Valli. The popular group had many hits and held their own against the British Invasion throughout the 1960s. Frankie Valli went on to a successful solo career. Connie Francis, Ricky Nelson and Lesley Gore were three other New Jersey natives who ruled the pop charts in the early '60s.^[4]

Bruce Springsteen became a 1970s icon with complex lyrical stories about teens growing up in Freehold and other economically depressed areas of New Jersey. In addition, Francis Hopkinson of Bordentown, is perhaps the first American composer. Other famous Jersey musicians include Jon Bon Jovi, Paper Cut, Richie Sambora, The Fugees, Whitney Houston, deSoL, My Chemical Romance, The Smithereens and Kool and the Gang. George Clinton was born in Plainfield, NJ. Also, the phonograph record was invented by Thomas Edison in Menlo Park, and the Victor Talking Machine Company established its headquarters and plant in Camden. ApeFight (out of Jersey City, NJ) have had three smash CDs out and can be found on the soundtrack (as the theme song) to the critically acclaimed movie "Accepted".

Three of the state's most famous recording artists, Frank Sinatra, Dionne Warwick and Connie Francis, share the same birth date – December 12.

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, saxmen Wayne Shorter and James Moody and trumpeter Woody Shaw of Newark, and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie who lived in Englewood from 1965 until his death in 1993. Newark was also the birthplace and home of the great jazz singer Sarah Vaughan – one of jazz's most esteemed vocalists. Bill Evans was born in Plainfield and attended North Plainfield High School.

Literally hundreds of Jazz albums for Blue Note Records were recorded in Alfred Lion's home studio Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

New Jersey continues to be the place that many Jazz musicians call home such as; Steve Turre, Frank Fontaine, Wallace Roney, Tom "Bones" Malone and many others.

Hip-Hop

The Sugarhill Gang was born in Englewood, but grew up in New York City. They recorded the single "Rapper's Delight" which is often considered the first hip hop single.^{[citation needed]} Other New Jersey hip hop artists & producers include Cardiak, Redman, Naughty By Nature, Ice T, The Fugees, Queen Latifah, P.M. Dawn, Apache, Joe Budden, Outlawz, Outsidaz, Artifacts, K-Def, Akon, Faith Evans, Chino XL, Treach, Lords of the Underground, Jus Allah, YZ, Poor Righteous Teachers, Lakim Shabazz, Tony D, Rottin Razkals, Biz Markie, Wyclef Jean, Rah Digga and Miilkbone (from Perth Amboy, New Jersey)^[5]

Hard rock and heavy metal

Skid Row is a New Jersey-based heavy-metal band formed in the mid-1980s and reached the height of its success in the early 1990s. Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, is a Canadian singer who has lived in New Jersey for almost two decades and has fronted several bands since his departure from Skid Row. Since the early 1980s, the New Jersey bands Overkill and Hades has been recording and performing thrash metal around the world. Trixter is glam rock band also from New Jersey. Monster Magnet is a well known Stoner Rock/Metal band from Red Bank with nearly 8 lp's (on elektra and other labels)

also the well known Thrash Metal band Ripping Corpse is also from Red bank which features Scott Ruth from The Beast and Erik Rutan who later joined Morbid Angel

New Jersey is also home to the highly acclaimed progressive power metal band Symphony X, and funeral doom metal band Evoken.

Mathcore band Dillinger Escape Plan formed in Morris Plains

A huge part of the New Jersey Metal scene must include the Old Bridge Metal Militia. They were a group of the most extreme metal heads who lived in the town Old Bridge, New Jersey. They would let bands who were touring the area, stay at their houses when they were in town for a gig. Bands like Slayer, Metallica, Anvil, and Motorhead (to name a few). They would get these bands to play at parties in their basements. The Old Bridge Metal Militia were even immortalized in song. The Megaforce compilation Born to Metalize has a track called "One Night in Old Bridge," while Blessed Death had a song called "Knights of Old Bridge".

Punk and Hardcore

Punk rock and hardcore have played an important role in the music of New Jersey, with many contributing artists who have gained popularity. Many of these bands had their start at basement shows, primarily in New Brunswick.

Arguably the most famous and influential punk band from New Jersey is The Misfits^[6] founded in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey, by singer and songwriter Glenn Danzig, who in 1983 broke from the band and formed Samhain and in 1988 Danzig. Like the later music of the Misfits, Adrenalin O.D. is usually credited with igniting the early N.J. hardcore scene in the early 1980s. Other notable punk bands from New Jersey include Hogan's Heroes ^[7][8], Bouncing Souls, Streetlight Manifesto, The Gaslight Anthem, Titus Andronicus, Ted Leo, Screaming Females, The Early November, Hidden in Plain View, Senses Fail, Saves the Day, Thursday, My Chemical Romance,^[9][10] Lifetime, Midtown, Patti Smith,^[11][12][13] Man Overboard and Bigwig.

In the late 70's/early 80's the Shore Core Punk rock scene evolved at the Jersey Shore, with its epicenter in Long Branch & Asbury Park. It featured a number of bands on "Mutha Records" including Chronic Sick, Public Disturbance, Fatal rage, The Worst, Dirge and other local bands - Mutha made "the Hot Dog House" in Asbury Park their home base. The Shore also produced the band Shrapnel which featured Dave Wyndorf, Phil Caivano of Monster Magnet and Daniel Rey Rabinowitz.

Venues and events

• Live Earth, a worldwide television and Internet-streamed benefit music event promoting causes to stop what supporters contend is global warming, took place during the spring of 2007 in the state. It used Giants Stadium in East Rutherford as the stage for its American concert venue. A wide array of performers, from a variety of music genres, took part in raising proceeds. Former Vice President Al Gore helped organize the effort.
• Asbury Park, is home of Convention Hall, the Asbury Lanes, The Saint and The Stone Pony, where Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, deSoL, 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.
• The Izod Center (formerly the Brendan Byrne Arena and the Continental Airlines Arena) is located in East Rutherford.
• Princeton Record Exchange, the Northeast's largest independent record store, was founded in 1980 and is located in Princeton, New Jersey.
• Metlife Stadium is located in East Rutherford.
• City Gardens Calhoun St. Trenton, New Jersey Famous Punk venue 1978–1998.
• The Capitol Theatre in Passaic hosted a number of famous acts in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including The Clash, Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, and Bruce Springsteen.
• Palisades Amusement Park in Fort Lee/Cliffside Park staged major concerts at its famous music pavilion, featuring current pop/rock acts and teen idols, throughout the 1960s. They were hosted by then-WABC (AM) Musicradio disc jockey Cousin Brucie, a.k.a. Bruce Morrow. The attraction closed permanently in 1971. Coincidentally, the park's popularity inspired the monster 1962 rock hit, "Palisades Park," by Freddy Cannon. The tune was written by Chuck Barris, before his days as a pioneering TV game show producer.
• Bloomfield Ave Cafe in located in Montclair on Bloomfield Ave.
• The Basement at Joe's Mill Hill Saloon in Trenton is the center of the state's still thriving punk and alternative scene.
• Maxwell's on Washington Ave. in Hoboken.

Audio broadcasting

Music is broadcast in New Jersey by terrestrial radio stations, cable FM, local wire networks, satellite and the Internet.

Radio stations WFMU from Jersey City, WSOU from Seton Hall in South Orange, New Jersey (winner of awards from publications such as Friday Morning Quarterback, the College Music Journal and Album Network) and WPRB from Princeton are three of the most well known independent/college radio stations in America. Newark's WBGO is one of the country's most important independent jazz stations. WRPR in Mahwah has also gained relevance for its rock programming. WGHT Radio is located in Northern New Jersey, and is a spring board for a long list on On Air Radio Talent. WGHT formally known at WKER-AM has been broadcasting at 1500-AM since the early 1960s. Jimmy Howes is currently WGHT's morning show host and Program Director.

Internet radio stations also contribute to New Jersey's music scene. For example, Blowupradio.com, an Internet station devoted to underground Jersey rock,^[14] has been contributing to New Jersey's music scene since 2000.^[15] Other internet radio stations in New Jersey that contribute to New Jersey's music scene include ThePenguinRocks.com and AltRock.com.^[15]

See also

• List of people from New Jersey
• New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene

References

Sources

• Andrea Witting, (2007) All Grown Up The Movie, U.S. Chaos cited interview, extensive.
• Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Los Angeles, CA: Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-71-7.

External links

• JerseyMic.com - Open mic reviews from all over New Jersey.
• Fallout Entertainment Group - The Fallout Entertainment Group Presents:New Jersey Artists and artist development
• Central NJ Musicians
• Jersey music.com
• The Penguin – online radio station playing all Jersey artists at night
• NJ Hall of Fame timeline

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