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Influences
Elmore Magazine - May 2006

Southside Johnny Lyon is an American singer, harmonica player, and songwriter who usually fronts his band, The Asbury Jukes. His musical roots can be traced back to his youth in Ocean Grove, New Jersey listening to songs on Newark's WNJR. When he recalls those formative years, John acknowledges that he "had a great teenage life in that I grew up in Asbury Park/Ocean Grove, played in all these bands without the scrutiny of record labels. We did whatever we wanted and found ourselves and learned so much from each other."

Southside Johnny first achieved prominence in the mid-1970s as the second act to emerge from the Jersey Shore music scene, following the Bruce Springsteen scene. John was a member of the Blackberry Booze Band, which evolved into Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes in 1972. The Jukes' first album was 'I Don't Want to Go Home' (1976). The highly popular 'Hearts of Stone' was released in 1978. In all, Southside Johnny has released 27 albums in the four decades of the Jukes' existence, including the 2005 release, 'Into the Harbour.'

More than 100 musicians can claim to have been members of The Asbury Jukes. In fact, John's long-time friend Jon Bon Jovi was a member of the Jukes and toured with the band in 1989. Southside has performed with a wide array of musicians during his career, including luminaries Bruce Springsteen, "Miami" Steven Van Zandt and Tom Waits. John always made it a point to pay homage to his musical roots by his collaborations with performers like Lee Dorsey, Ronnie Specter and The Rascals ' Felix Cavaliere. Having become disillusioned with big record companies sometime back, Southside founded his own record label in 2001 under the name of Leroy Records and continues to perform regularly with the Asbury Jukes.

Elmore: What are you listening to right now?
SS: Bluegrass. I just listened to Alison Krauss, brilliant. Some jazz things, and still blues. R&B and a little rock and roll.

Elmore: What was the first record you ever bought?
SS: Actually, the first records I remember buying were over at CJ's Record Store in Asbury Park, they would have cutouts for 99 cents. I bought a John Lee Hooker album, a Jimmy Reed album and, I think, a Lightning Hopkins album.

Elmore: What was the first instrument you played?
SS: Harmonica....that 's it.

Elmore: What brought you to the instrument you now play?
SS: My brother Tom wanted to be a folk star earlier. He saw Bob Dylan and Joan Baez brought it out on stage so he went out and bought a harmonica and a guitar. He didn't buy the bracket, so I stole the harmonica.

Elmore: Who would you like to write with that you haven't?
SS: I don't know. It's funny when you sit down to collaborate... there's a song on this album with Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals. He was in Nashville and he came over and right away we hit it off, and that happens...Bobby (Bandiera) and I can do it, Jeff (Jukes piano player, Jeff Kazee) and I have done it a number of times, but there are times you sit down and you say to yourself, "Do I really want to write with..."

Elmore: Who would you like in your rock and roll heaven band?
SS: I'm happy with the band I got!!

Elmore: What's your favorite album of all time?
SS: That's an impossible question to answer. If I had to choose one LP, I guess it would be The Best of Little Walter, a '50s Chess album from the Chicago harmonica genius. But then I would miss out on all the great soul, rock and roll, bluegrass, classical, jazz.........

Elmore: Where do you buy your music?
SS: Flea markets, junk stores, yard sales, I've been doing that for a long time. I buy some things over the internet now...I 'm trying to remember the last thing I bought...a Billy Boy Arnold song I didn't have on VeeJay for 20 bucks...

Elmore: What was the song that made you realize you wanted to be in music?
SS: I used to sing along with the doowop groups on the radio in the early '60s. All of those sweet romantic ballads and the jive up-tempo stuff really tickled me. Then I heard James Brown sing "Please, Please, Please" and I was hooked. Such emotion! And yet, still cool. Something I will never be. Oh, well.

Elmore: What musician influenced you most?
SS: My father. He played bass in local jazz bands, and he had a great collection of old 78s from the '30s and '40s...jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues. But I think the thing about him that influenced me the most was his love of music...all kinds of music. He would come home from the Post Office, where he worked for 40 years, crack open a can of beer and put on some Count Basie or Louis Armstrong, and sit back and groove. It was a joy to see him so happy. My Mom was the same way. I was very lucky to have such parents.

Elmore: What's your desert island CD?
SS: The entire Library of Congress music collection on one CD...and an iPod.

Mike Saunders Interview | Southside Talks Asbury | Music and Martinis | Influences | Puttin' Up His Jukes

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