Southside Johnny.com: The Band

Back to the Band

Southside Johnny: Puttin' Up His Jukes
Jim Farber - January 5, 2007

Tonight, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes bring their driving rock-and-soul sound to B.B. King's, but the road there hasn't always been easy. In the mid-1970s, after pal Bruce Springsteen broke through to stardom, the Jukes were the second band from the Jersey Shore to land a major-label deal. But unlike the Boss' career, the path for 58-year-old "Southside Johnny" Lyon has been paved with potholes.

Growing up in Ocean Grove, he sang and played harmonica in groups that fed into the E Street Band. He co-founded the Jukes with guitarist Steve Van Zandt, who later migrated to the E Streeters. Van Zandt also produced the Jukes' 1976 debut album, "I Don't Want to Go Home." He and Springsteen wrote a lot of its songs. But despite the all-star input, the album sold only moderately, and Epic Records dropped the Jukes after two more tries.

In the 1980s the band changed personnel and floated from label to label. In 1991, Van Zandt, Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi teamed up on the album "Better Days," Lyon's attempted relaunch. But the small label that released it went bankrupt during the Jukes' subsequent tour. The sole bright spot was Lyon's singing the theme for the sitcom "Dave's World."

Feeling burned out, the artist quit Jersey for Nashville. "I was there for five years," Lyon recalls. "I went there to get away from the music biz. [But] friends introduced me to musicians, not just country. There's so many great players down there for blues. I started jamming with them, playing harmonica, singing, any place from small clubs to coffee shops. That's how I started enjoying music again. So when [producer and Springsteen bassist] Garry [Tallent] started bugging me about doing a blues record, the time was perfect."

Not quite. More delays ensued when the E Streeters went off to tour the world in the late '90s. But in 2000, Lyon finally released "Messin' With the Blues" on his own Leroy label. Three albums and a couple of DVDs followed that.

Today, Lyon still prowls the stage like a rock-and-soul animal: His annual shows at Springsteen's Asbury Park holiday events stir up crowds as much as the Boss'.

Of tonight's show, Lyon says, "There'll be more jamming than some fans might remember. I love to let the musicians play. And we don't use set lists, so sometimes we take requests. I want my guys to move it around so they keep me into it."

Lyon jokes, "They say I'm still gonna be moving - even after I'm dead."

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

Back to the Band

Jukes Interviews: