Raw Cuts: Volume I

Written By Mike Greenblatt

As we wait for Director Fulvio Cecere's upcoming The Jersey Sound documentary, here's snippets of four "Raw Cuts" of interviews Fu conducted with Twisted Sister's Jay Jay French, the legendary Tommy James of Tommy James & The Shondells, Trixter's Steve Brown and Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals. We'll do a different four going forward every few weeks.

Jay Jay French

Jay Jay French, 68, war protester, civil rights activist, replaced his politics with rock’n’roll when he auditioned for an early Gene Simmons-Paul Stanley project named Wicked Lester. He didn’t get the gig. French then joined Silverstar in ’72 which became Twisted Sister in ‘73.

 

Steve Brown, Trixter

Trixter came roaring out of Paramus in 1983, all hair, crashing chords and attitude. Raised on a steady diet of Bon Jovi, Kiss and Van Halen, Steve Brown formed the band and found fame opening for Kix and Skid Row locally plus Stryper and then Dokken nationally. Their “Give It To Me Good” rose to #1 on the “Dial MTV” Top 10 “Video Countdown” for five consecutive weeks.

 

Tommy James

His list of hits is over a mile long. Tommy James, 73, who first hit with “Hanky Panky” in 1965, has been covered by everyone from Joan Jett, Billy Idol, Prince, Santana, John Mellencamp and Kelly Clarkson to Bryan Adams, Meat Loaf, Los Lobos, Miley Cyrus and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

 

Felix Cavaliere

The Rascals were known as America’s answer to The Beatles. They were “blue-eyed soul” personified. Originally called The Young Rascals when they came out of Garfield, songs like “Good Lovin’” (’66), “Groovin’” (’67) and “People Got to Be Free” (’68) all were the #1 songs in America.

Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

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Raw Cuts: Volume II