Music of New Jersey

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.

The square dance is "the American Folk Dance of the State of New Jersey".

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.

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 The Fugees, Whitney Houston, Jon Bon Jovi, 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.

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, saxman Wayne Shorter, 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.

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. Other New Jersey hip hop artists include Redman, Naughty By Nature, The Fugees, Queen Latifah, P.M. Dawn, Apache, Joe Budden, Bleszt Outlawz, Outsidaz, Artifacts, Trey Songz, K-Def, Akon, Faith Evans, Chino XL, Treach, Lords of the Underground, Jus Allah, YZ, Poor Righteous Teachers, Lakim Shabazz, Gee Rock & Tha Cnd Coalition Tony D, Shawn Lov, PaceWon, ACE, and KinGJmeZZ, Hassan 7-11, The Nastee Boyz, Biz Markie, Wyclef Jean, Rah Digga and Milkbone (from Perth Amboy, New Jersey). Black Irish , Johnny 3 Rounds

New Jersey is the birth place of the world's first hip hop/rap magazine and it was known as "The Hip Hop Hit List." New Jersey is the birth place of the world's first hip hop and rap magazine "The Hip Hop Hit List" also known as "The World Famous Hip Hop Hit List" and that it was. It was first published in 1983 by two brothers from Newark, New Jersey Vincent & Charles Carroll. This was a time when there was a great deal of prejudice still against the art form, even most radio stations and magazines treated rap like it was the plague labeling it ghetto music. Being true hip hoppers themselves they recognized the void in the market while trying to sell their own product. Charles Carroll was already a struggling local publishing entrepreneur when he brought his younger brother Vincent Carroll into the business after he graduated from high school.

“My family was very poor and we didn’t have the money to send him to college so I had to come up with an idea of a magazine that he could easily do that would keep him interested and off the streets. I showed him a blank piece of paper and showed him how the blank spaces on it can turn into money we came up with the concept, rolled up our sleeves and the rest made history.” -Charles Carroll

It was the first hip hop record chart ever and became the play-list for DJ's and radio programmers worldwide. The record chart was compiled from multiple play-list received from many record pool DJ's. It's authentic rating system guaranteed positive dance floor and listening results and made it the bible for anyone in the rap music business. When it grew into more pages it took the form of a magazine and became proudly supported by its subscribers and completely sold out its mail-out reserve with every print. It was strategically distributed freely in NYC’s most popular tourist sections which guaranteed constant world circulation which was calculated to make its way back home to many international countries. Subscription request came into Newark, New Jersey from all over the globe. It received advertising from all the independent record companies at the time who virtually had no other way to affordably promote their product other than through local clubs, posters, flyers and trade journals. But these publications did not reach the public like the Hip Hop Hit List. Advertising in it proved so successful for independent record company sales that the major record labels eventually had to take notice and call on the brothers. The Carroll brothers became marketing consultants to most of the independent labels and especially to those had no marketing experience. They were also asked to consult major labels who also had no idea of how to effectively advertise to this brand new audience.

The Hip Hop Hit List was also the first media outlet to expose Hip Hop as a culture in its entirety. Reporting articles about the fashion, the style, the latest trends, the language, graffiti, break dancing and the attitude and swagger that represented the true soul of hip hop. Due to budget restraints most independent labels printed records with no pictures of its artist anywhere on the covers so the fans relied on the magazine to introduce them to the people who made the music that they loved so much. They were also the first to publish rappers interviews verbatim (word for word) and uncensored which made the publication more appealing to the many subscribers who personally identified with the familiar use of broken language and found it entertaining and very easy to read. The rhythmic speaking style in most of its interviews made their reading experiences more intimate and exciting as they realized the artist were truly just like them. The publication folded in 1996.

http://www.blacksight.com/hhhl/ http://www.beatsandrants.com/2010/12/new-video-5-hip-hop-myths-debunked.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7jwOM49krE&feature=player_embedded http://newjersey-guide.info/arts.and.entertainment/music/

Hardrock 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 1980, the New Jersey band Overkill has been recording and performing thrash metal around the world. Trixter is glam rock band also from New Jersey. E-Town Concrete was a Hardcore/Hip hop band from Elizabeth NJ.

New Jersey is also home to the highly acclaimed progressive power metal band Symphony X

Punk rock

Punk rock has played an important role in the music of New Jersey, with many contributing artists who have gained popularity. Arguably the most famous and influential punk band from New Jersey is The Misfits. who have a direct tie to members of The Undead and U.S. Chaos for their early adaptaions of Oi! who are litteraly connected, as brother and sister with the Blanks 77, who appeared in in 1990 whos guitarist also plays in U.S. Chaos. Adrenalin O.D. is usually credited with igniting the early N.J. hardcore scene in the early 80's. Other notable punk bands from New Jersey include Bouncing Souls, Squiggy, Ska band Streetlight Manifesto, My Chemical Romance, The Gaslight Anthem, Titus Andronicus, The Early November, Hidden in Plain View, Senses Fail, Saves The Day, Thursday (band), Lifetime, Midtown, Patti Smith, and Bigwig

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 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.
• Giants 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.

Audio broadcasting

Further information: List of radio stations in New Jersey

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

Radio stations WFMU from Jersey City and WPRB from Princeton are two 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, has been contributing to New Jersey's music scene since 2000. Other internet radio stations in New Jersey that contribute to New Jersey's music scene include ThePenguinRocks.com and AltRock.com.

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.

See also

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

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