Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY and the ASBURY JUKES

Rock band formed '75 by vocalist and harmonica player Southside Johnny (b John Lyon, 4 June 1948, NJ), a contemporary of Bruce Springsteen, forever in the Boss's shadow, despite a series of soulful albums.

The first band was the Blackberry Booze Band, which became the Jukes when horns were added, and they played in Asbury Park clubs including the legendary Stone Poney. The original lineup (with nearly everybody helping on vocals) included Miami Steve Van Zandt (for a few months until he joined Springsteen later in '75), Billy Rush, guitar; Kenny Pentifallo, drums; Alan Berger, bass; Kevin Kavanaugh, keyboards; Carlo Novi, sax; Ricki Gazda and Tony Palligrosi, trumpets and Richie 'La Bamba' Rosenberg on trombone, who also worked with Diana Ross and Van Zandt's Disciples of Soul. A rumoured early LP Live At The Bottom Line '76 on Epic (probably a promo) was followed by a proper debut I Don't Wanna Go Home same year, with classic title track written by Van Zandt, effusive sleeve note by Springsteen and duets with Lee Dorsey and Ronnie Spector; also Lyon's version of Bruce's widely bootlegged 'The Fever'. This Time It's For Real '77 included Lyon's own title track, Springsteen/Van Zandt songs 'Love On The Wrong Side Of Town' and 'When You Dance'; in the tradition of an Asbury Park band acknowledging its roots, it also included guest contributions from the Drifters, Coasters, and Five Satins. The most highly rated album was Hearts Of Stone '78, a good companion to Springsteen's Darkness On The Edge Of Town same year: indeed, the title track of Hearts was scheduled for the latter.

Despite Springsteen's championing, Lyon never reached a mass audience, but retained loyal followings in the USA and Europe. Having A Party With Southside Johnny And The Asbury Jukes '79 was a good compilation of the three albums produced by Van Zandt (who played on Hearts) with one new track; the switched to Mercury for The Jukes '79 and Love Is A Sacrifice '80, lacking the punch of earlier work; two-disc Reach Up And Touch The Sky was a definitive live set, including the best-known material as well as a Sam Cooke medley. Trash It Up! '83 and In The Heat '84 were on various labels; At Least We Got Shoes '86 on Atlantic was better, including a cover of 'Walk Away Renee'. Lyon was also behind a Jersey Artists for Mankind single '86. Slow Dance on A&M/Cypress '88 had him without the Jukes, but with electronic percussion. All I Want Is Everything was a best-of '79-91 on Rhino; Better Days was on Impact/MCA; two-CD live Spittin' Fire '97 on Grapevine was made live at the Chesterfield Café in Paris two years earlier.

In an interview in 2010 Lyon said that over 120 people had passed through his lineups, including Springsteen, Jon Don Jovi and many others, making the Jukes a sort of Triple-A team of New Jersey rock. He praised a new band, The Gaslight Anthem, saying that they had a 'typical Jersey rock sound...Rock and roll has been influenced by so many different things, that's kind of what New Jersey is. It's a place where a lot of different influences come together." He has written songs, effectively a singer-songwriter, but 'there's always so many songs you hear that you want to do from other artists...I get to say, "Hey I really love this song, let's do it." Nobody expects me to write all my own material, which is great.' In the Autumn that year his band was the first to play in the Musik at the Sands series at the new Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and released its 27th album. Jersey bands just don't quit. (Quotes from an interview with the Morning Call's John Moser)