SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY & THE ASBURY JUKES – BY HUGH GREGORY
Formed in Asbury Park, New Jersey, 1972
Back in the early 70s, when Bruce Springsteen was being touted as the new Bob Dylan, interest focused on his New Jersey upbringing and fellow musicians from Asbury Park, like Miami Steve Van Zandt and Southside Johnny. Although he got somewhat submerged through his association with Springsteen, unassuming Southside Johnny is a man who performs for the sheer love of it. Achieving world domination was never an item on his agenda.
Born Johnny Lyons, Southside Johnny was an R&B fanatic first and foremost, and emerged in the late 60s with The Blackberry Booze Band. Then, in 1972, he teamed up with schoolfriends Billy Rush (guitar), Kevin Kavanaugh (keyboards), Allan ‘Doc’ Berger (bass) and Kenneth Pentifallo (drums) to form The Asbury Jukes, a band supplemented by a horn section drawn from various sources.
Gigging constantly throughout New Jersey and its environs, the group cut Live At The Bottom Line in 1976, and whetted the appetite of Epic Records. They were signed, and their major label debut, I Don’t Wanna Go Home (1976), was produced by Miami Steve (who also wrote the title track) and included the Springsteen composition “The Fever”, with guest contributions from R&B vocalist Lee Dorsey and Ronnie Spector.
While this album convinced many that New Jersey was indeed a hotbed of untapped talent, the consensus was that Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes were best experienced live. The follow-up, This Time It’s For Real (1977), only served to give weight to this conviction, as the group had toured in the meantime, showing European audiences their rollicking blend of R&B and soul. By now the group were distanced from Springsteen, but they still suffered from the backlash against him as punk took hold in the UK. Consequently, Hearts Of Stone (1978) was not a big seller, and Epic decided against renewing their contract. Critics said that the third album, Hearts of Stone (1978), was the Jukes’ peak, but they failed to break through to mass success.
Unbowed by this setback the group now boasted a full-time front-line brass section that comprised Carlo Novi and Stan Harrison (saxophones), Ricki Gazda and Tony Palligrosi (trumpets) and Richard Rosenberg (trombone), as well as additional guitarist Joel Gramolini and replacement drummer Steve Becker. After two albums – The Jukes (1979) and Love Is A Sacrifice (1980) – for new label Mercury, they released their defining moment, the live double LP, Reach Out And Touch The Sky, in 1981. Complete with a ferocious Sam Cooke medley, here was a set that could not disappoint, but such was Southside Johnny’s association with rock’s old guard that it was only a moderate seller. Moving to the Atlantic Records subsidiary Mirage, Southside Johnny & The Jukes worked with producer Nile Rodgers on the uncharacteristic Trash It Up! (1983), then returned to form on In the Heat (1984).
After cutting In The Heat (1984) for Polydor, Southside Johnny moved on to RCA for At Least We Got Shoes in 1986, which featured a lyrical revival of The Left Banke’s classic “Walk Away Renee”, as well as “Hard To Find” and “You Can’t Count On Me”. The same year, Southside Johnny organized a charity single, “We Got The Love”, under the collective umbrella of Jersey Artists For Mankind.
For the next five years or so, Southside Johnny concentrated on his forte of playing live, but in 1991 he returned with a new album, Better Days. Sounding relaxed and in full control, he covered Springsteen’s “Walk You All The Way Home”, while there were several contributions from Miami Steve. Further album releases have been scarce, although the band have continued to tour extensively – with a classic live performance captured on the double-CD release “Spittin’ Fire” (Grapevine 1997).
Reach Up And Touch The Sky (1981; Mercury). Hot and sweaty, here are the hits lovingly punched out with all the fervour that can be mustered.
Better Days (1991; RCA). Sterling and stirring – if he had made this album twenty years ago his career might have been very different.
All I Want Is Everything (1993; Rhino). A neat round-up that offers the salient moments in one perfectly formed package.
Hugh Gregory
Copyright(c)Rough Guides Ltd.
First edition published Aug 96 / Nov 96 (USA).
Distributed by Penguin. Reprinted with permission.