Ask any New Jerseyan why the state is number one and you’ll get a variety of responses. Its beaches — there’s Stone Harbor, Cape May, Point Pleasant, Ocean City and Sea Bright, to name just a few. Why, you can drive down practically the entire 130 miles of the state’s coastline and call it “the Jersey Shore.” Its produce — blueberries, corn, tomatoes, apples, asparagus and anything else that grows from the ground (there’s a reason New Jersey is called “the Garden State”). And the state has not one, but two football teams. Okay, technically they’re the New York Giants and the New York Jets, but they play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, so New Jerseyans can rightfully claim dibs. BTW, the same goes for the New York Red Bulls, the local Major League Soccer team that, of course, plays in Harrison.
In terms of sheer geography, New Jersey isn’t large — it accounts for only 7,352.9 square miles, making it the 46th largest state by area. But in terms of its impact on modern music, it’s enormous. Hoboken’s own Frank Sinatra got his start singing in New Jersey social clubs, and over the years the state has been a breeding ground for the sounds of doo-wop, garage rock, soul, jazz, punk, funk, hip-hop, blues and heavy metal.
Perhaps more than any other state in the Northeast, New Jersey has been home to a staggering number of notable guitarists. That said, when we crafted the following list of New Jersey guitarists, we had to consider what actually constituted a “New Jersey guitarist,” and our criteria was based on anyone born there, raised there or made their greatest impact there. There were, however, certain qualifiers that could be seen as subjective. Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio was born in Texas; his family moved to Princeton when he was 3, but he famously relocated to Burlington, Vermont, the birthplace of Phish, a band that will forever be associated with Vermont. Hey, when we do our Vermont guitarists roundup, Anastasio will be front and center. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ Joe Walsh attended Montclair High School. Is he “a New Jersey guitarist”? Get outta here!
As you’ll see from the 30 players we’ve highlighted, they’re a diverse lot — there are shredders, jazzers and strummers, fusion kings and punk pioneers, arena superstars and indie darlings. But in their own unique and spectacular ways, they’ve helped to make New Jersey a music paradise — or at least one of those “There must be something in the water” states!
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
“WELL, I GOT this guitar and I learned how to make it talk.” Bruce Springsteen was in his twenties when he wrote those words, but he’s been living the rock ’n’ roll dream since the age of 14, when he sat in his Freehold living room and watched the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. With single-minded determination, Springsteen set out to be a hotshot guitarist and cut his teeth in the British rock-influenced local band the Castiles. Having played everywhere from Elks Clubs to the Café Wha? in NYC’s Greenwich Village, he soon formed the Cream-styled power trio Earth, followed by the hard rock outfit Steel Mill and, ultimately, the E Street Band.
On record, Springsteen has a penchant for downplaying his guitar skills (though he’s delivered hellfire solos on cuts like “Candy’s Room,” “Adam Raised a Cain” and “Cover Me,” all performed on the now-iconic Fender Telecaster/Esquire he bought for $185). During his epic three- and four-hour live shows, however, it’s a different story. Hailed as perhaps the most dynamic rock performer of his generation, Springsteen allows his fellow guitarists (Steven Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren) plenty of room to shine, but during key moments he clears the path (he is, after all, the Boss) and lets loose with rapturous solos that are big and bold, brimming with drama and theatrical razzle-dazzle.
AL CAIOLA
DURING THE 1950S and early Sixties, while instrumental guitarists Dick Dale, Chet Atkins and Duane Eddy became household names, one of the most recorded guitarists of that time remained virtually anonymous. His name was Al Caiola, and for nearly two decades he had a lock on the NYC session scene, recording with Percy Faith, Frank Sinatra, Connie Francis, Paul Anka, Frankie Avalon, Eddie Fisher, Bobby Darin and Perry Como, among others, as well as playing on countless movie and TV themes.
Born in Jersey City in 1920,
