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 & The Asbury Jukes.
Southside has long been considered the Grandfather of "the New Jersey Sound." Jon Bon Jovi has acknowledged Southside as his "reason for singing."
Biography
Early days
Lyon was born in Neptune, New Jersey, and grew up in Ocean Grove, New Jersey and graduated from Neptune High School with Garry Tallent and Vini Lopez, two future musical cohorts of his, in 1967
1975-1980
Southside Johnny first achieved prominence in the mid-1970s as the second act to emerge from the Jersey Shore music scene and be considered part of the Jersey Shore sound, following Bruce Springsteen. Southside's first three albums, I Don't Want To Go Home (1976), This Time It's for Real (1977), and Hearts of Stone (1978), were Stax-influenced R&B, arranged and produced by the co-founder of the band and Springsteen confederate Steven Van Zandt, and largely featured songs written by Van Zandt and/or Springsteen. The Van Zandt-written "I Don't Want To Go Home" became Southside's signature song, an evocative mixture of horn-based melodic riffs and sentimental lyrics. Other notable songs included "The Fever", "Talk to Me", "This Time It's For Real", "Love on the Wrong Side of Town", and a cover of Springsteen's "Hearts of Stone".
In 1977, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes were featured as a bar band in the movie Between the Lines.
In 1979, Southside Johnny and Asbury Jukes appeared on the Canadian sketch comedy television show SCTV, featured as a "wedding band". Johnny and the band played three full songs, including "The Fever", and performed many truncated versions of their other tunes. Johnny acted in one sketch, and the entire band was featured as a plot point in another. Also in 1979, Southside Johnny and Asbury Jukes performed a homecoming concert in Asbury Park which was the subject of a documentary film directed and produced by Neal Marshad called Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes at the Asbury Park Convention Center. The film was first shown in January 1980 on Warner Cable's QUBE in Columbus, Ohio.
1980-1990
In 1979, the band was dropped by its record company. Now working without Van Zandt, they released The Jukes in 1979 and Love is a Sacrifice in 1980. Neither of these achieved much success either. The band's first official live release also came out in 1980, the double live album Reach Up and Touch the Sky.
In 1982 Rolling Stone voted the album Hearts of Stone among the top 100 albums of the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1983, Southside Johnny served as a technical advisor on the film Eddie and the Cruisers.
During the 1980s Southside Johnny's recording contracts continued to change almost by album, but he continued to release records: Trash It Up (1983), a disco influenced album written by Billy Rush and produced by Nile Rodgers; In the Heat (1984) an album trying to reach out to "Adult Contemporary" radio; and At Least We Got Shoes (1986) where guitarist and Jersey shore fixture Bobby Bandiera took over songwriting and guitar work from Billy Rush and led the Asbury Jukes back to their original sound. Songwriting credits on At Least We Got Shoes also contain a song co-written by Bandiera and singer Patti Scialfa, who was known as a Jukes collaborator since the 1980 album Love is a Sacrifice and who became a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band in 1984.
In 1985, Southside Johnny contributed the title track to the film Tuff Turf.
In 1987, Southside and the Jukes were featured in the film Adventures in Babysitting performing at a college frat party. They performed the songs "Future In Your Eyes" and "Expressway to Your Heart".
In 1988 Southside Johnny released his first solo record Slow Dance containing ballads and love songs like "On the Air", but also "Little Calcutta", a rare political song, describing the life of the homeless in New York City.
1990-
In 1990, Southside contributed the songs "Memories of You" and "Written in the Wind" to the film Captain America. Additionally, he performed the song "Please Come Home for Christmas" for the 1990 film Home Alone.
His recording career was re-launched with the album Better Days (1991), which featured production by Van Zandt, songs by Springsteen, and vocal performances from Van Zandt, Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. With Bobby Bandiera driving the band, the Jukes were gaining new energy for a world wide tour supporting the album. But once again, Southside Johnny's bad luck with the industry was shown when the record label went bankrupt while the tour was still rolling.
Southside performed the theme song for the 1990s television sitcom Dave's World, a cover of Billy Joel's "You May Be Right."
In 1992, Southside contributed the song "Shake 'Em Down" to the film The Mighty Ducks.
Southside eventually relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, taking a break from the music business. A few members of the Asbury Jukes would end up being part of The Max Weinberg 7 on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien television show, while some others went on tour and into the recording studio with artists such as Jon Bon Jovi, Mink DeVille, Graham Parker, and Robert Cray.
In 1998 Southside Johnny came back into the spotlight with an independent release titled Spittin' Fire, a live record with a semi-acoustic Jukes lineup released in France containing a 20-song set recorded during a series of 10 shows at the Chesterfield Café in Paris, France.
Since 2001 Southside Johnny and the Jukes have toured the UK and Europe as an annual event, their first since the 1992 Better Days tour, although Southside and Bobby Bandiera did some acoustic shows in 1995.
After a decade without a record contract Southside finally founded his own record label in 2001 under the name of Leroy Records, and started releasing and distributing his new records fully under his own control: Messin' with the Blues (2000), Going to Jukesville (2002), Missing Pieces (2004), Into the Harbour (2005). Southside continued to perform, and maintains substantial audience followings as 2002's Live At The Opera House DVD, filmed at a sold-out performance in Newcastle upon Tyne, demonstrated.
In 2008, Southside Johnny collaborated with long-time Asbury Jukes trombone player Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg, for a break from the classic Asbury Jukes sound to classic Big-Band Jazz. Together with a 20-piece big band they recorded a cover album of songs written by Tom Waits, arranged and conducted by Rosenberg.
As of 2009, Southside Johnny Lyon lives again in his original hometown Ocean Grove.
The Jukes' most recent album, Pills and Ammo, was released in June 2010, receiving the most critical acclaim since Better Days. The songs were primarily written by Southside Johnny and Jukes keyboard player Jeff Kazee.
On September 24, 2010, Southside Johnny and the Jukes kicked off an international tour with a free performance at Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes continue to be a fixture on the U.S. Northeast music scene including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Maryland, as well as throughout the UK and Europe.
On July 2, 2011 Southside Johnny and the Jukes recorded a live performance of Stevie Van Zandt's Men Without Women album at the Stone Pony in New Jersey for release on CD. The material on Men Without Women was composed almost entirely of unused material originally recorded by Southside Johnny during the Hearts of Stone sessions, later re-recorded by Van Zandt as his first solo album.
In October 2011, with his band The Poor Fools, he recorded a version of "I'm Down" for The Beatles Complete On Ukulele.
According to a post by Southside Johnny from May 2011 on his official website, he is recording a new album with the Jukes. In January 2013, he released a CD called Songs from the Barn with his side project, The Poor Fools.
On May 4, 2014, Southside Johnny headlined at the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival with 300 artists and 30 musicians in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Discography
Source
- Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
- I Don't Want to Go Home (1976)
- Live at the Bottom Line (1976)
- This Time It's for Real (1977)
- Hearts of Stone (1978)
- The Jukes (1979)
- Love Is a Sacrifice (1980)
- Live: Reach Up and Touch the Sky (1981)
- Better Days (1991)
- Ruff Stuff (EP) (1995)
- Live at the Paradise Theater (2000)
- Messin' With the Blues (2000)
- More Ruff Stuff (EP) (2000)
- Going to Jukesville (2002)
- Found in a Closet (EP) (2003)
- Missing Pieces (2004)
- Into the Harbour (2005)
- Jukebox (2007)
- Ruff Stuff 3 (EP) (2008)
- From Southside to Tyneside (2008)
- 1978: Live in Boston (2008)
- Hearts of Stone LIVE (2009)
- Pills and Ammo (2010)
- Acoustic Ammo (EP) (2011)
- Men Without Women LIVE (2012)
- Southside Johnny & the Jukes
- Trash It Up! (1983)
- In the Heat (1984)
- At Least We Got Shoes (1986)
- Southside Johnny
- Slow Dance (1988)
- Spittin' Fire (1997) (live)
- Southside Johnny with La Bamba's Big Band
- Grapefruit Moon: The Songs of Tom Waits (2008)
- Southside Johnny & the Poor Fools
- Songs from the Barn (2013)
- Selected others
- Jersey Artists for Mankind: "We Got the Love" / "Save Love, Save Life" (1986)
- Soundtrack: Home Alone (1990)
- Killer Joe: Scene of the Crime (1991)
- Rusty Cloud: Walkin' the Night (1994)
- Rattlesnake Guitar: Music of Peter Green (1997)
- Gary U.S. Bonds: Back in 20 (2004)
References
External links
- SouthsideJohnny.com - Official website
- AsburyJukes.net - Fan website
- Southside Johnny Imeem Fan Group website
- Concert at Asbury Park Convention Hall on IMDB
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