Bruce recently made a surprise appearance on a panel on race and music in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The panel was moderated by Daniel Wolff, author of a great book on Asbury Park entitled Fourth of July, Asbury Park: A History of the Promised Land (I bought it a few years ago and read it one day).
Stan Goldstein writes about the panel at his NJ.Com Springsteen blog. Here is a taste:
Bruce Springsteen was a surprise special guest at a panel discussion on Saturday afternoon at the Atonement Lutheran Church in Asbury Park.
The roundtable talk was on soul, rhythm & blues and the history of race and music in Asbury Park. It featured author Daniel Wolff (4th of July Asbury Park) who was the moderator with guests: Southside Johnny Lyon, Bobby Thomas, Nicky Addeo and Springsteen who was not advertised as part of the panel.
The 90-minute discussion in front of about 125 people touched on the the roots of the Asbury Park music scene, the music west of the railroad tracks in Asbury Park along Springwood Ave. and how that music would have an influence on Springsteen, Southside Johnny and so many others.
Southside Johnny talked about growing up in Ocean Grove and how Asbury Park was another world. He played the pinball machines at the Casino and The Palace Amusements.
He said his father liked black music, so he was knowledgeable about it and he always equated Asbury Park with music.
Springsteen said he came to Asbury Park when he was 18. He said there were groups who were singers and groups who played music, but they didn’t crossover too much.
“You were all instrumental or all vocal, not both,” said Springsteen. He then kidded Addeo, who has a high falsetto voice (think Frankie Valli) that “if you wanted to make a move on a woman, you did it when Nikki was singing….”
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