3 minutes reading time
Today’s cover story on the economic impact Bruce Springsteen had on Asbury Park was written by entertainment writer Chris Jordan, who has covered the New Jersey music scene for decades.
Regular APP readers know that Chris regularly posts about the Boss. He also writes about local talent coming to clubs and venues in the Shore area, as well as the latest on Bon Jovi and the cast of “Jersey Shore Family Vacation.”
Chris loves his job and is quick to share news. In the next few days, expect stories about Sea Hear Now – the massive music, arts and surfing festival taking place in Asbury Park on September 14th and 15th. The headliner on Sunday, September 15th? Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Here’s an opportunity to get to know Chris a little better.
Tell us about your background. Where are you from? How and why did you get into reporting? How did you get involved with the Asbury Park Press??
I am a native of the Jersey Shore, grew up in Neptune, Ocean Township and Matawan, and spent a lot of time on the Asbury Park boardwalk.
As a child, I read several daily newspapers and eventually got a job in the sports department of the Asbury Park Press.
I then moved to the Home News Tribune to cover a very thriving entertainment scene in New Brunswick and returned to the Asbury Park Press in 2011. My stories have also appeared in USA Today, Bergen Record, Seattle Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Arizona Republic, Billboard, MTV, AOL, Yahoo and other media outlets in the U.S. and around the world.
You cover Bruce, Bon Jovi and the music scene on the Jersey Shore and beyond. What is your musical background? Who are your favorite artists??
As a teenager, I tried to learn to play guitar, but I never succeeded. Songs I learned included “Complete Control” by The Clash and “Itchykoo Park” by the Small Faces, and I wrote several long-lost songs. As a result, I have a rudimentary knowledge of musical notation and sometimes recognize notes and chords that are played.
I am a fan of all types of music because there are quality songs in all genres. My favorite song is “How Can I Be Sure” by the Rascals and my favorite album is the compilation “Jerry Blavat Presents for Ladies Only” which includes classic songs by Dinah Washington, Carla Thomas, Etta James and others. I enjoy dancing to gothic rock, 80’s music and 60’s R&B and soul. My favorite songs to dance to are “But It’s Alright” by JJ Jackson and “London Dungeon” by the Misfits.
Is there a story in your career that particularly stands out? What was it and why?
When I was working for the Home News Tribune about 20 years ago, I interviewed Billy Brown of the million-selling R&B groups The Moments and Ray, Goodman and Brown. I said I didn’t know he had lived in Perth Amboy. He said he was a guy from Jersey – he used to play in Asbury Park.
The interview revealed to me the cultural richness of Asbury Park’s West Side. In addition to Brown and his group The Broadways, Springwood Avenue used to be a vibrant music center in Asbury Park, where greats such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Fats Waller, Sonny Greer, Lenny Welch, The Broadways, Bobby Thomas of the Orioles, Clarence Clemons and others either performed or played in the avenue’s clubs.
I grew up in the area and had no idea. The local media, including the Asbury Park Press, did not adequately cover the scene in its heyday. When the music came to an abrupt halt in the summer of 1970 after riots in Asbury Park, and particularly on Springwood Avenue, little was written or talked about for decades. The clubs that were not burned down in the riots were razed to the ground. Blocks of houses remained empty for decades.
In 2011, I asked members of the Springwood Avenue scene to meet with me to do interviews, photographs, and tell their story. It was a great time, and since then a movement has emerged, with groups like the Asbury Park African-American Music Project and Springwood Avenue Rising working to reclaim the heritage and tell the story.
I still write regularly about the scene and the friends I made there, and with the redevelopment of the area, which also includes several new concert series, Springwood Avenue is actually experiencing a resurgence.
What is one thing about you that would surprise people?
If I’m not at a concert, dancing in a nightclub, or sitting at a computer, I’m probably at a gym. I started lifting weights many years ago in hopes of entering the Mr. Xanadu contest at the former Club Xanadu in Asbury Park. The place at 911 Kingsley is now Porta, and it used to be the Student Prince, where Bruce Springsteen played in the early ’70s.
I haven’t competed, but I’ve stuck with the weights. My best out of competition is 350 pounds on the bench press, 405 pounds on the squat, and 415 pounds on the deadlift. Due to injuries like a torn pectoral muscle, I can’t get close to those totals these days, but I still enjoy my time in the gym. I’ve lifted at pretty much every gym on the Jersey Shore.
