Top 5 Jersey Shore sound Artists

There is more to the Jersey shore sound than the place where the name was coined. The genre is deeply tied to everyday struggles of life for the common people and an implication of being the underdog. Reverberating guitar patterns, with melodies brought on by keyboard instruments, solid drum tempos, a complementing dash of horn sections, and the iconic husk of the vocalist’s voice – Jersey shore sound evoked feelings that listeners of any age could dance with. Here is ILCR’s compilation of the 5 best sounds Jersey shore offered.

5. Looking Glass

An American pop-rock band that was formed in the early 1970s, Looking Glass was composed of Jeff Grob on drums, Larry Gonsky on the piano, Pieter Sweval as bassist, and Elliot Lurie fronting the band with a lead guitar. The band produced a one-hit wonder track, “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”, on 1972 and topped Billboard Hot 100 for over a week.

4. Willie DeVille/ Mink DeVille

Singer-songwriter Willie DeVille and his band Mink DeVille sported accordion and sax elements into their craft. The band has been compared and was even deemed by rock and roll puritans as sounding better than Springsteen. Where Angels fear to Tread is an album loyal to the style DeVille employed.

3. Bon Jovi

What is a glam metal band doing in this list? Bon Jovi had the core roots of jersey shore sound and heartland rock, while also progressively evolving the genre, the neo-Jersey shore sound. “In and Out of Love” shows how the band successfully reformed the Jersey shore sound.

2. Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes

Led by Southside Johnny, the band was big on the Mid-Atlantic States. Influenced by bands that Southside Johnny and Steve Van Zandt played with in their early careers, they tuned their style to be melodically pleasing with proper instrument placement.  “I Don’t Want to Go Home” is a delightfully musical track due to the concise employment of horn sections and strings, paired with impeccable timing.

1. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Probably the best-known Jersey shore artist, Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen used his Italian-American heritage for his musical interests, being influenced by Italian accordion music. Although known to express his Jersey shore roots more explicitly when writing for other artists (listen to Hearts of Stone, by Southside Johnny), “Incident on 57th Street” sports this trademark sound, along with Springsteen’s neatly-placed voice rasps, never fails to paint the scenery with a rustic, authentic Jersey shore nostalgia.