Music of New Jersey

This article is a supplemental part of the Music of the United States series.

Roots music: before 1940

1940s and 50s

1960s and 70s

1980s to the present

African-American music

Native American music

Latin, Tejano, Hawaiian, Cajun, Puerto Rican and other immigrants

The biggest superstar from New Jersey is probably Bruce Springsteen, who became a 1980s icon with complex lyrical stories about teens growing up in Freehold and other economically depressed areas of New Jersey. In addition, Jersey native Frank Sinatra became one of the most popular singers of the 20th century. Francis Hopkinson of Bordentown, is perhaps the first American composer. William Dunlap wrote the first American opera, The Archers. Other famous Jersey musicians include Lauryn Hill and Jon Bon Jovi.

Table of contents

1 Jazz 2 Punk rock 3 References

Jazz

In the early 20th century, Newark was an important center for jazz innovation. James Johnson and other pioneers helped invent stride. Other famous New Jersey jazzmen include Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie.

Punk rock

Even into the 1980s, would-be punk rockers tended to migrate to either New York City (see Music of New York) or Los Angeles (see Music of California). These included members of Cause for Alarm, Agnostic Front and underground legends The Misfits. Adrenalin OD was perhaps the first Jersey hardcore punk band to achieve a significant following. By 1984, a hardcore scene had developed, including Rosemary's Baby, Bedlam (who ran the top indie label in the area, Buy Our Records), Mental Abuse and Mourning Noize. The most famous New Jersey hardcore band was Genocide, who included Rachel Bolan, eventually of Skid Row.

References

Blush, Steven. ‘’American Hardcore: A Tribal History’’. Feral House. 2001. ISBN 0-922915-717-7