The Upstage Club was a legendary coffee shop, music venue, and

afterhours club An afterhours club (''aka'' after hours club and afterhour club) is a nightclub that is open past the designated curfew closing time for clubs that serve alcohol (which is often an hour long). Such clubs may cease serving alcohol at the designated t ...

in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The club is featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.De Poto, T. (January 26, 2014). "Springsteen's proving grounds in Asbury Park, the Upstage Club, is for sale for 1.8 million

' The Star-Ledger''. Retrieved May 20, 2017. Influential musicians such as Bruce Springsteen,

Bill Chinnock William Chinnock (November 12, 1947 – March 7, 2007), also referred to as Bill Chinnock or Billy Chinnock, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Chinnock grew up in the nearby Essex County communities of ...

Southside Johnny John Lyon (born December 4, 1948), better known by his stage name Southside Johnny, is an American singer-songwriter who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Southside Johnny has long been considered the Grandfather of ...

(John Lyon),

David Sancious David Sancious (born November 30, 1953) is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on ''Human Touch'' (1992), '' Trac ...

, Little Steven Van Zandt,

Garry Tallent Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being bass player and founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band si ...

Vini Lopez Vincent Lopez (born January 22, 1949), nicknamed Mad Dog, is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen's first two albu ...

, and

Danny Federici Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as the organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player and a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. In 2014, Federici was posthumously induct ...

first honed their live performance skills at the club.Staff (March 16, 2017). "Just Before the Dawn" Documentary Tells The Story of The Upstage Club

''

New Jersey Stage New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

'' Retrieved May 20, 2017.Jordan, C. (March 22, 2017). "How music saved Asbury Park: Major film to debut at #APMFF.

' USA Today''. Retrieved May 20, 2017. It was where the

Asbury Jukes Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are an American musical group from the Jersey Shore led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. They have recor ...

, Steel Mill and the Blackberry Blues Band were formed.Potter-Devening, C. (2011). ''For Music's Sake. Asbury Park's Upstage Club and Green Mermaid Cafe.'

New York: Authorhouse.

History

Although Asbury Park is currently associated with the sounds of rock and roll from the 1960s and 1970s, its music history did not begin or end there. Since the turn of the century, its music community has included

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

, and various

Broadway theater Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

lyricists, in addition to contemporary artists. In its heyday, there were at least 10 elegant supper clubs and jazz joints lining Springwood Avenue.DeMasters, K. (August 19, 2001). A Revival, Musically at Least, Sparks Asbury Par

''New York Times. ''Retrieved May 20, 2017. The Upstage Club was opened by Tom and Margaret Potter in 1968 at Cookman Avenue & Bond Street, Asbury Park, NJ, above a

Thom McAn The surname Thom is of Scottish origin, from the city of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Angus, and is a sept of the Clan MacThomas. Thom is also a first name variant of the abbreviation " Tom" of "Thomas" that holds the "h". People with the surnam ...

shoe store. The venue predated longstanding music venues such as

The Stone Pony The Stone Pony is a New Jersey music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

.Jordan, C. (May 1, 2005). "Springsteen legacy: APMFF Upstage film explores 1970 Asbury Park.

' Asbury Park Press''. Retrieved May 20, 2017. When it opened, the Green Mermaid Café (a coffee shop) was on the second floor and a music room was on the third floor. Potter insisted that the bands played original music, not cover songs. The music room was decked out with fluorescent paintings and black lighting. The club was alcohol-free, and musicians would jam there all night until around 5 am. In his book about the Asbury Park Music scene, ''Beyond the Palace,'' Gary Wien wrote, "This is where it all began...Musicians gathered each night at a club on the corner of Cookman Avenue and Bond Street that was set on top of a

shoe store. The Upstage brought the sights of San Francisco psychedelia and the sounds of Greenwich Village together in an endless array of all night jam sessions, which attracted the best young musicians in the area."Rothenberg, D. & G. Wie

(2006). ''Beyond the Palace''. Bloomington, IN: Trafford Publishing.Angermiller, M. A. (April 22, 2017). "Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform at Asbury Park Music Festival in New Jersey.

' Billboard''. Retrieved May 20, 2017. In 1970, shortly after the Club opened, riots tore through Asbury Park, damaging the musically rich Springwood Avenue area, and drug use increased. According to Don Stine, president of the Asbury Park Historical Society, there was an integration of races, cultures, and musical styles at the Upstage. Up to that point in Asbury's history, Black bands did not play the boardwalk clubs, and it was rare for white musicians to perform in the African-American music scene of Springwood Avenue on the West Side. Garry Tallent, future E Street Band bassist, was an exception. In 1969, Clarence Clemons joined Norman Seldin's Joyful Noyze, and eventually, musicians of all colors were jamming at the Upstage. The Upstage was a refuge from the chaos. A sign on the door read, "Leave your anger and hate outside with your booze and drugs." The Upstage Club has been said to have helped develop the

Jersey Shore sound The Jersey Shore sound is a genre of rock and roll popularized at the Jersey Shore on the Atlantic Ocean coast of New Jersey, United States. The Jersey Shore sound evolved from the mixing of pre-Beatles rock and roll, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, ...

or 'Asbury Sound," though musicians and others closely involved with the regional music scene object to the concept and see each band as having a personality and style of their own.Wien, G. (nd). "Stone Pony and the Asbury Sound.

'

''. Retrieved May 20, 2017. According to Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg, "If the sound that developed at the Shore in the 70s was unique, it was because you could play traditional blues and rock-and-roll. At the same time, audiences were open to experimentation. We mingled everybody's' styles."Demasters, K. (May 30, 1999). "The Jersey Shore Sound Pays a Visit to the City.

' New York Times''. Retrieved May 20, 2017.Jeffreys, A. (July 18, 1976). "Asbury park and the New Rock Music.

' New York Times''. Retrieved May 20, 2017. The musicians frequenting the Upstage Club formed several influential bands. In the late 1960s Springsteen jammed there with John Lyon, Van Zandt,

and

. The

', the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

's, and the Hubcap's roots extend to The Upstage Club. Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg said "When we started, it was usually me convincing a club owner we had a band that played pop tunes...He'd hire us, and then I'd run to the Upstage club in Asbury Park and whoever was there at the time became the band. We used to call it 'the band of the week." Rosenberg said that the Hubcaps consisted mostly of Jukes who were not busy when he was recruiting for the Hubcaps. Van Zandt

and

, would all later join Springsteen in the

.Cahillaine, K. (May 1, 2005). "Two Guys Left Behind in the E Street Shuffle.

' New York Times''. Retrieved May 20, 2017. The Upstage Club closed in 1971. In 2014, the site of the former Upstage Club was listed for sale at 1.8 million dollars, which included a $750,000 liquor license.

Media

A documentary about the club called "Just Before the Dawn" that tells the story of The Upstage Club was released on April 21, 2017 during the Asbury Park Music & Film Festival. The film was originally going to focus solely on the Upstage Club but its scope was later expanded to include the societal context in which the club was created, and how the music community helped Asbury Park survive. The film was directed by Tom Jones. It reflects on Asbury Park during the 1970s, the impact of race riots, and the emergence of its unique sound. The film features interviews with musicians who played during the era of the Upstage. In the film, Southside Johnny says, "I learned almost everything I know about performing and singing from those three years, two and a half years, at the Upstage because it was like our college." There is also a book about The Upstage Club by Carrie Potter-Devening entitled, "For Music's Sake. Asbury Park's Upstage Club and Green Mermaid Cafe. The Untold Stories", whilst Albee Tellone's "Upstage, Springsteen and Me" gives substantial insights into life in the club.Tellone, Albee. ''Upstage, Springsteen and Me''. Kindle Edition. 2012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Upstage Club, The 1968 establishments in New Jersey Asbury Park, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Monmouth County, New Jersey Music venues in New Jersey Tourist attractions in Monmouth County, New Jersey Music venues completed in 1968 Jersey Shore sound