July 29th through end of December
I got this from Jim Testa of Jersey Beat Magazine who has contributed some of his old issues to the exhibit and may be speaking at a panel discussion soon.
And I say it’s about time we paid tribute to the musical history of Hoboken!
“Hoboken Tunes: Our Musical Heritage”
July 29th through end of December
T he Hoboken Historical Museum
1301 Hudson Street
201-656-2240
More details from Jim Testa:
Frank Sinatra may have put Hoboken on the world map, but his is not the only musical career this town has fostered. Stephen Foster, for one, lived here when he wrote “I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair.” A few years after Sinatra, and just a few doors down from his childhood home, another crooner, Jimmy Roselli rose to fame singing standards and traditional Neapolitan songs in a style that reportedly made the “wiseguys weep.” The musical “Hair” was written here, and the number of bands who made the leap to national fame after playing at Maxwell’s in the 1980s and ’90s is too large to count.
Hoboken has played host to many diverse musical communities in its 150-plus years, including German social clubs, Irish music bands, Italian vaudeville, salsa clubs and Club Zanzibar, which was a frequent stop for jazz and R&B performers after their gigs at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Music thrived and evolved here among the many immigrant communities. Blind Tom, an internationally famous piano sensation, retired to Hoboken in the 1850s.
The exhibit traces the role of music in the cultural life of Hoboken, as well as the contributions Hoboken’s musicians have made to the national music scene. Naturally, center stage is given to favorite son Frank Sinatra, whose career might not have taken off as quickly if he hadn’t grown up so close to “New York, New York.” His big break was performing on Major Bowe’s Amateur Hour radio show in New York in 1935 with his fellow singers in the “Hoboken Four.”
Like many musicians and singers before and after him, Sinatra’s success was partly rooted in Hoboken’s proximity to New York City, where the popular music industry was centered before much of it shifted to Hollywood in the 1930s and ’40s. Before high-fidelity recording technology, most music played on radio or in theaters was performed live, Lewis says, and most popular music in the first half of this century was published, performed and broadcast from New York City.
Until very recently, Hoboken was an affordable place for struggling music-makers. In the 1960s, a pair of struggling actors, James Rado and Gerome Ragni, holed up in a Hoboken apartment to write the book and lyrics for the musical “Hair,” which revolutionized the Broadway musical with rock-and-roll spirit. Also in the ’60s, a band called the Insect Trust put out a record titled, “Hoboken Saturday Night,” and influenced the growing “underground” music scene.
In 1978, a popular restaurant for workers at the Maxwell House plant was transformed in the evenings into a neighborhood spot for bands to try out their new sounds in front of a hip, young audience. Outlasting most music venues of its era, even in New York, Maxwell’s continues to offer up-and-coming bands a discerning audience to try out their new music.
Hoboken’s infrastructure as a factory town also supported the musical industry. Guild guitars, cherished by top rock and folk guitarists, were made here in the 1950s. The International Music Corporation distributed hybrid instruments such as the “ukelin” (a cross between a ukulele and violin) in the 1920s and ’30s, from offices at 14th and Bloomfield St.
Affordable space made it possible for recording studio Water Music (founded in 1980) and record label Bar None (founded in 1986) to put down roots here. Both are still in business, and between them have boosted the careers of musicians such as The Bongos, Luka Bloom, the dBs, the Delevantes, the Feelies, Freedy Johnson, The Mary’s, Matthew Sweet, Yo La Tengo and They Might Be Giants.
The exhibit will offer listening stations for visitors to sample music of all kinds that had its roots in Hoboken. Fans of Frank Sinatra a chance to see some rare memorabilia, including a microphone he once used, and fans of the 1980s music scene can relive the glory days of independent music through posters, album covers and even a few reunion concerts. The exhibit will also pay homage to artists who have performed at the city’s Arts & Music Festivals over the past 13 years.
The performances at this year’s Fall Arts & Music Festival will coincide with the Museum’s Exhibit and will include performances by The Bongos (who will headline the festival this year), The Individuals, Chris Stamey, Glenn Mercer (of The Feelies), The Health & Happiness Show, The Amazing Incredibles and so much more. For more info call 201-420-2207 or go to the Hoboken Cultural Affairs MySpace page.
See Also:
Hoboken Cultural Affairs
Jersey Beat
