It is my great pleasure and honour to nominate Ms. Rose Walsh as the August 2006 Fan of the Month, respectfully submitted: Peaches.

July’s Fan of the Month is a True-Blue Jukian: a JerseyGirl, a Baker, a……. Saxophone Player!!!

Now, brothers and sisters, let me warn you this is a sad, sad story…but I swear every word is true….

It all began auspiciously on July 4, 1974 when Miss Rose met Southside at a party they were both working at in Oakland, New Jersey. Johnny was singing in a (pre-Jukes) band and Rose was, well let’s leave a little mystery here…. Before leaving the party that night, she promised Johnny that someday she would go to Asbury Park and, if he were still working there, she would come and see him perform.

However, it was not until 1986!!! that Our Miss Rose heard a song called “Hard To Find” on her radio. She had 3 Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes albums before she got home that day.

But, as the saga continues, since she didn't read the liner notes, Rosie didn't make the connection between That Jersey-Johnny-Guy at the Party in Oakland in 1974 and “Southside” Johnny ……until the week before she moved out of New Jersey to Pennsylvania!! (That cruel, cruel Hand-of-Fate!)

Consequently, it took 3 more years!!!! before she first saw Johnny with the Jukes at Suntan Lake, Labor Day, 1989. (For those following: that’s 15 years, 5,475 days, 13,1400 hours, or 7,884,000 minutes later!!!!!)

From that point on, Our Miss Rose saw Southside and his Merry Jukesteers whenever she could get word of a show in time get tickets. In 1995 she saw The Jukes and Jon Bon Jovi at Jack Frost Mountain.

But, as the story goes… South “disappeared” in 1995. A few years later Rose was told the Jukes disbanded and Southside retired by a local DJ on WNNJ ( Ed. Note: who should have known better than to traffic in such speculation and doubt Our Fearless Leader!!!)

Her heart was broken; she plunged into a profound depression, she even packed up her 1908 Holton Alto sax and 1925 Conn Tenor saxes……it was a looooonnnnnggg few years.

Then, in 2001, Rose got her first computer …. Our heroine went looking for a website, and the rest is history, or herstory to be more exact!

Since finding the website Miss Rosie has carved out a little
niche. She put a name into the pre-Jukes Family Tree: Tony the Italian sax guy. She has sent Murray Webster the sax solo for "Slow Dance,” (one of her fav albums!) written in alto and tenor. She has even sent a show to Jackie S. for the FTP server.

As for close encounters of the Jukes kind, none other than Mr. Ed Manion offered to purchase her tenor sax and The Love Man has even given her an official smooch!

And, last but not least, our story does have a happy ending!!!

On July 3, 2005…the eve of the 31st Anniversary of the night they first met, Rose kept her word and visited The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. And, as legend would have it, soon after Southside and the boys hit the stage, that romantic old so-and-so sang….you guessed it: “Rosa.”

Happy Birthday, Rosie! Raise a slice of Banana Split Cake and enjoy your reign!