I contributed some old issues of Jersey Beat to this exhibit and may be
speaking at a panel discussion soon...

"Hoboken Tunes: Our Musical Heritage"

Opening Reception is Sunday July 29th
2pm to 5pm
Runs from July 29th through end of December

at

the Hoboken Historical Museum
1301 Hudson Street
201-656-2240

Description

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.

The exhibit opens on Sunday, July 29, with a reception from 2 – 5 p.m.

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."

But 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 online at www.myspace.com/hobokenculturalaffairs




Jim Testa
Jersey Beat
www.jerseybeat.com
jerseybeat.blogspot.com


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