WHEN SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY AND THE ASBURY JUKES TAKE THE STAGE, NO ONE WANTS TO GO HOME

BY LAURA D.C. KOLNOSKI PHOTO BY DANIEL GONZALEZ

In the pantheon of legendary Jersey rockers, “Southside” Johnny Lyon holds a lofty position. In fact, he and his band, the equally revered Asbury Jukes, were among this year’s inductees into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Lyon, who often refers to himself as “Uncle South,” leads a band of seven Jukes, including a blistering horn section. He founded the group with “Little Steven” Van Zandt, who went on to join Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Close in terms of both geographic proximity and fervor for rock and roll, members of both bands, along with a cadre of accomplished Garden State musicians, continue to surprise each other and appear together at gigs year ’round. Go to one of their concerts, and one never quite knows who will show up.

In many ways, it’s a continuation of both bands’ early days in the 1970s at Asbury’s now defunct Upstage Club, immortalized in this year’s moving documentary, Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock & Roll, in which Lyon was featured prominently, along with other luminaries of the city’s music scene.

When this year’s Hall of Fame inductees were announced, Jay Lustig, founder/editor of NJarts.com and who covered entertainment for the Star Ledger for 25 years, proclaimed that the honor “righted a long-time wrong.” The acerbic Lyon commented, “I’d rather be in the New Jersey Hall of Fame than in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, because at least I know the people care about me here. I just wish it came with a check.”

The induction ceremony was held on October 27, appropriately enough at the Paramount Theatre on Asbury Park’s boardwalk. Other inductees included The Smithereens, A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy novels author George R.R. Martin, Martha Stewart, and actor Jason Alexander.

The band’s first three albums, I Don’t Want To Go Home, This Time It’s for Real, and Hearts of Stone, were produced by Van Zandt and featured songs written by him and Springsteen. With their blend of R&B, rock, soulful guitars, and killer horns, they continue to be stalwarts of Jersey Shore sound. Van Zandt’s “I Don’t Want To Go Home” became Southside’s signature song, played at the end of every show.

Fans can join in when the boys appear at the Count Basie Center for the Arts on New Year’s Eve, in what has become a rollicking annual tradition. The show, along with another Garden State appearance on November 22 at the Hard Rock Casino/Hotel in Atlantic City, will culminate a worldwide tour that took the group through Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, and Spain, as well as New England, New York, and Virginia.

Much is made of the frequent appearances and accessibility of Springsteen. (We recently saw him casually perusing albums in a Red Bank music store), and, while he resided in Navesink, Jon Bon Jovi was also regularly spotted out and about. Southside Johnny is equally ubiquitous. On one sunny afternoon in Bradley Beach near his home, he stopped to genially discuss the fine weather. It’s part of what makes Jersey rockers great.

Count Basie Center For The Arts
99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank 732.842.9000 / thebasie.org
Hard Rock Casino Hotel
1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City 609.449.1000 /
hardrockhotels.com/atlanticcity southsidejohnny.com