Southside Johnny bringing his brand of rock ‘n roll

Morristown — Celebrate the end of summer with New Jersey’s own Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Friday, Sept. 18, 2009 at 8 p.m. at The Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $47 ($72 for Golden Circle seats). “There’s one thing I’ve always wanted to do,” Southside Johnny confesses, “and that is to sing.” And he has been doing just that for over a third of a century. In a business where success is defined as getting a second single and longevity measured in nano-seconds, just surviving for 30 plus years is a rare accomplishment. But Johnny and the Jukes have not just survived...they have flourished. Twenty-eight albums, thousands of live performances around the globe, a legion of dedicated and enthusiastic fans, dozens of classic songs and they are still going strong. To Johnny, it’s just what he does. “I grew up on music. We listened to Billie Holiday, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters and Big Joe Turner. My parents loved music, the louder the better.” Born and raised on theJersey Shore, Southside’s fascination for the club scene started early. “My father played in bands for years, and my mother actually went into labor with me at some seedy New Jersey club. I guess some things were just meant to be.” Singing and playing in a number of blues and R&B bands at what is now the legendary Upstage Club, often joined by pals Bruce Springsteen, “Miami Steve” Van Zandt, and Garry Tallent, Johnny worked at making “meant to be” into “is.” It wasn’t easy. “We played for years on the shore, but it wasn’t until Bruce hit with “Born to Run” that these A&R guys would drive to Asbury Park to see what was happening.” Southside (a nickname picked up because of his bent toward the blues sounds of the Southside of Chicago) and his band, eventually called the Asbury Jukes, worked on their growing reputation as a dynamic live band through the late 60s and early 70s. “We built a big band, a home for lots of musicians, horns and all: sure we called it Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, but it was really just a bunch of guys getting crazy on stage.” Then, in 1975, they signed with CBS/Epic Records and released the critically acclaimed “I Don’t Want To Go Home” --and a legend was begun. What followed was three decades of recording and touring and solidifying a place in rock ‘n roll history...a period of ups and downs, dozens of great songs, and storied live performances. “I’ll stack my group against any group out there. We enjoy playing, and the audience enjoys having a good time. Music is a shared emotion. We distill it down to that.” When you distill Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, you come down to great music and good times. It’s been thus for 30 plus years...and counting. Tickets for all events can be purchased online at (www.mayoarts.org), at The Community Theatre box office, located at 100 South Street in Morristown, N.J., or by calling 973-539-8008. Box office hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you go Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes Friday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. The Community Theatre At Mayo Center Morristown, N.J. www.mayoarts.org 973-539-8008