Up-Close: 2025 (One Last Look Back)
In 2025, we were honored to interview Tommy James, Ricky Byrd, Jimmy Vivino, Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, New Jersey Hall of Fame President Steve Edwards, rapper Myzz-London, Stevie Van Zandt and Tony Orlando. Admittedly, though, my favorite section has to be “Jersey History” for it is here where we can plummet the depths of 12 long-ago artists that have escaped the dustbin of time by what they left behind.
Dee Dee Warwick [1942-2008] from Newark was the younger sister of Dionne. They formed The Gospelaires together and played The Apollo Theater in 1959 Harlem. Their first time in a recording studio was as backup singers for saxophonist Sam “The Man” Taylor (that’s him blowing wild on Big Joe Turner’s seminal 1954 “Shake Rattle & Roll”). They did so well on his 1961 “Deliver Me” that they became The Duo In Demand on hundreds of recordings between ’61 and ’65. Dee Dee went solo, but never achieved the kind of success her sister did. (She even recorded “Alfie” a year before Dionne took it to #15 in ’67 but it flopped.) She died in 2008 from a stroke at 66.
Johnny Cash [1932-2003] Why? He was one of the owners of the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park. The Man in Black loved The Jersey Shore so much, he would make any excuse to head here to walk the boardwalk and play pinball (a game he truly loved).
Barry Miles, 78, is the North Plainfield pianist-composer-producer who, arguably, invented jazz-rock fusion, and formulated many of Al Di Meola’s albums.
Tony Bennett [1926-2023] was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011 as he was a longtime resident of Englewood in Bergen County.
Celia Cruz [1925-2003], “The Queen Of Salsa Music,” a longtime Fort Lee resident, had a section of the Garden State Parkway named after her in 2022, nine years after being inducted posthumously into the New Jersey Hall of Fame. She made 80 albums, has her own exhibit in the Smithsonian Institute within the National Museum of Washington DC, and was an outspoken advocate for the rights of women. She escaped Cuba in 1960 and Fidel Castro never forgave her, not even letting back into Havana for her mother’s funeral.
Jersey City’s PM Dawn formed in 1988 and by 1991 had a #1 hit with “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss.”
Sir Roland Hanna [1932-2002], a longtime Teaneck resident, fused classical with swing and bebop.
Hubert Sumlin [1931-2011] is one of the greatest blues guitarists of all-time, living long enough (in Totowa) to enjoy being hailed as such by Guitar Player, Rolling Stone and Mojo magazines. Keith Richards and Eric Clapton always pointed to his pioneering work with the legendary Howlin’ Wolf as the reason why.
Rose Marie McCoy [1922-2015] wrote 857 songs, recorded by 400+ artists including Aretha, Elvis, James Brown, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Ike & Tina Turner, The Animals, Dizzy Gillespie, Faith Hill, Brenda Lee, Rick Nelson, Les Paul and Linda Ronstadt. She lived in Teaneck for 50 years.
Buster Williams, 83, is up amongst the greatest jazz bassists in history, having worked with Sarah Vaughan, Wayne Shorter, Quincy Jones and dozens of others. When we called him at his Teaneck home, he told us that when he recorded the groundbreaking 1971 Mwandishi album with Herbie Hancock, he wasn’t thinking at all about its importance. “When you’re doing it,” he told us, “you’re not thinking at all about its significance. You just do it. There was, though, a mystery to that session. We knew it was unprecedented. We just didn’t realize the extent of it.”
Scott LaFaro [1936-1961] This Newark genius was all set to rewrite every rule known to jazz bassists when he died in a car crash at 25.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk [1935-1977] lived in East Orange. His influence on a generation of jazz and rock’n’roll artists is inestimable. Ian Anderson formed Jethro Tull after hearing him play flute. Hendrix and Zappa idolized him. From The Jam to the Allman Brothers, they all loved the man who blew three saxophones on the stage in his mouth at the same time and even played flute through his nose.
In the “Meet…” section, we introduced to you in 2025 11 highly musical souls:
Middlesex County singer-songwriter Kathleen Elle grabbed our attention with her terrific Memory Lane. She started performing down the shore on the sidewalk outside Strollo’s ice cream place in Red Bank before graduating to gigs at The Saint, Wonder Bar and the Asbury Hotel.
West Orange piano player Renee Rosnes composed music in the key of Brazil for her delicious Crossing Paths.
Another Middlesex county singer-songwriter, Matt Francis, knocked us out with his Forever Guaranteed.
West Orange pianist-composer Isaiah J. Thompson combined post-bop and faith with The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry, inspired by Ellington and Coltrane. Christian McBride tapped him to complete his all-Jersey trio with John Pizzarelli. Wynton Marsalis chose him to play piano in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
Passaic Country’s Stefani M.C. Janelli is in the business side of the music business. Her MIC Music Group helps indie artists and she teaches at Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Bergen County may have lost singer-songwriter Sarah Manzo to Nashville but her style of sweet soul-pop will bring a smile.
Camden County gets loud every time Vespid rehearses. Their gigs are utter insanity. Kids bang into each other with sudden violence. The music is like a Mack Truck rumbling down the highway with no brakes. Their “Dead To Me” and “Dropout” singles barely scratch the surface of their bombast.
Twisted Livin’ is from Somers Point in Atlantic County. They take the blues and tear into it with Jersey-centric attitude.
Princeton’s Strawberry Milk is a college trio inspired by Genesis, Rush, Sting, Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., John Mayer and The Killers.
Ocean County singer-songwriter-producer-guitarist-pianist-model-painter-photogapher Izzy Miz can do it all. Her False Deities EP is that rare instance of a new young bright light coming fully formed as if she’s been at it for decades.
Yawn Mower came out of Asbury Park a decade ago. Their new I Just Can’t Wait To Die is pure indie alternative.
“Visual Sound,” over the course of the last 12 months, has posted 60 videos, be it classics of yesteryear, new artists or new clips from established artists. We had some fun picking our Top 10.