The Stone Pony is a music venue in

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...

, known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and Lead vocalist, frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was fo ...

, and

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are an American musical group from the Jersey Shore sound, Jersey Shore formerly led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen and The ...

.
DeMasters, Karen (December 16, 2001). City Revival May Imperil Stone Pony. ''New York Times''. Retrieved December 19, 2010. The club opened in 1974.

History

20th century

Prior to the Garden State Parkway making points south more accessible, Asbury Park was a prominent shore vacation destination in New Jersey; from the late 1800s through mid-century and beyond, the city's establishments had a heavy focus on live musical entertainment. Before becoming a music venue, the building housed a restaurant named Mrs. Jay's, later named Mrs. Jay's Beer Garden, that was frequented by a polyglot community of tourists, high school and college students, and bikers. During the mid-1960s, Mrs. Jay's management began to allow bands to perform. After the restaurant and beer garden went out of business in 1968, allegedly over a waitress wearing a see-through blouse, Mrs. Jay's reopened two doors south. The second incarnation of Mrs. Jays became a notorious biker hangout in its later days before being demolished in the late 1980s.

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with i ...

s lined entire blocks after cruising the circuit. The building that originally housed Mrs. Jay's reopened in fall 1973 as The Stone Pony. Many of the world's most popular musical artists have played on its stage. In 1991, The Stone Pony filed for bankruptcy after a series of drunk-driving lawsuits. However, the nightclub reopened in 1992. Because of its importance to the music world, there was a national outcry when there was talk of closing the Pony during the late 1990s. The Stone Pony was repeatedly opened and closed as developers targeted Asbury Park through the beginning of the new millennium, and musicians and patrons organized and rallied in support of The Stone Pony. The annual Asbury Park Music Awards ceremony, founded in 1993 as "The Golden T-Bird Awards" and renamed "The Asbury Park Music Awards" in 1995, is usually held at The Stone Pony. The awards recognize excellence in the region's music community. The format for the ceremony is similar to that of the

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

.
DeMasters, Karen (August 15, 1999) Top of the Pops at the Shore. ''New York Times. '' Retrieved January 4, 2011. It features the presentation of awards between performances of live, original music and poetry.
Pfeiffer, John (December 1, 2010). Asbury Park Music Awards and Musical Heritage Kickoff. ''The Aquarian.'' Retrieved December 18, 2010. The event is jointly sponsored by The Stone Pony, The Saint (music venue), The Saint, WBJB-FM, and '' The Aquarian Weekly''.

21st century

The club was renovated in 2000, preserving the character associated with its early years while adding a permanent exhibition of art and artifacts from the history of the city and the venue itself. State-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment were installed, and outside, facing the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, The Stone Pony Landing area was redone with a beach motif, tenting and food facility. Fans and artists continued to support the Pony, and the Asbury Park Music Awards returned to the Stone Pony.
Woliver, Robbie (August 13, 2000). Asbury Park Music Awards return to the Stone Pony.''New York Times''. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
DeMasters, Karen (December 31, 2001). Stone Pony and King Biscuit Unite for Rock 'n' Roll's Sake ''New York Times''. Retrieved December 19, 2010.DeMasters, Karen (February 04, 2001)
"Marshall Crenshaw at Stone Pony"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Accessed December 19, 2010.
Strunsky, Steve (January 11, 2002). Stone Pony Rally. ''New York Times''. Retrieved December 19, 2010. Eventually, the music community prevailed,Newman, Andy (February 25, 2002)
"Just Up the Road From E Street, a Rock Landmark Stands Its Ground"
''

''. Accessed January 3, 2011. and a vibrant live music scene reemerged and crowds returned. "A visit to The Stone Pony has been considered a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

to rock 'n' roll fans around the world. "It is a place that is important not just to us, but to the world," New Jersey Governor

Christine Todd Whitman Christine Temple Whitman (; born September 26, 1946) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush ...

said as she officially reopened the club on

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...

weekend 2000. Before it reopened in 2000, The Stone Pony owners promised to become involved in the Asbury Park community. The club and the city co-sponsored a weekend-long Asbury Park Festival along the oceanfront. The festival was free to the public and featured local arts and crafts vendors as well as live music both inside and outside the club. The

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

created a special cancellation for the event, and hundreds of people lined up to have envelopes stamped for the occasion. The club was open in the evening, and part of the proceeds was donated to the Stephen Crane House on Fourth Avenue in the city, where the author of '' The Red Badge of Courage'' lived during much of his short life. The Stone Pony has hosted events supporting Asbury Park-area community groups and charities. Proceeds from a concert entitled "Remembering

Harry Chapin Harry Forster Chapin (; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and hunger activist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He achieved worldwide success in the 1970s. Chapin, a Grammy Award- ...

" benefited a charity that fights

world hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic Human nutrition, nutritional needs for a sustain ...

, and the club has been designated as an official drop-off point for the

Food Bank A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...

s of

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

and Ocean Counties. The club held a fundraising event for the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation, the Acoustic Musicians Guild, sponsored a concert at which Bruce Springsteen appeared in support of the

Parkinson's Disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

Foundation, and held a benefit event for the family of a young man who lost his life in a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

accident. The club and the community offered the first Asbury Park showing of a

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

exhibit spotlighting the city by students of the Rugby School at Woodfield for

learning disabled Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficulty ...

and behaviorally challenged students. The Stone Pony's management also established "The Stone Pony Foundation" to promote

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

at the elementary and

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

levels. An amplifier was purchased for an aspiring teenage blues guitarist from the area, and the club was a sponsor for an event at another venue which benefited music and

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practi ...

in Asbury Park schools.

Stone Pony Summer Stage

Stone Pony Summer Stage is the May-to-October outdoor venue at the Stone Pony; its capacity of 4,500 is far larger than the club's indoor 850-person capacity. It is on the site of the former live music venue, beer garden and biker bar known as the second iteration of Mrs. Jay's.

References

External links

Official websiteThe Stone Pony upcoming events
at

Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American multinational Entertainment industry, entertainment company that was founded in 2010 following the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of Live Nation (events promoter), Live Nation and Ticketmaster. It ...