Musical Roots
Rumor has it that John Philip Sousa once lived in what is now the
Red Bank Public Library on West Front Street, alongside the Navesink and only
a few hundred feet from Marine Park.
Nobody knows for sure, according to sources at the Red Bank Public Library,
but it does add a bit of mystery to the borough's musical hertitage.
Sousa is best known for Stars and Stripes Forever, a stirring march that was so
popular the Sousa Band played it at every concert for 25 years.
But long before Sousa, who died in 1932,
Red Bank was just like any other seaport, with
bustling dockyards and taverns for the sailors and dockworkers
along East and West Front Street.
Tin pianos, sea chanties and squeeze boxes were the order of the day.
The Bank Tavern was perhaps the most renowned of the early taverns in
Red Bank, dating back to the 1600s. It operated for more than 160 years.
In the 1800s a popular place to go in Red Bank was
the Rising Sun Tavern, operated by William Wilson and part of the Rising Sun Hotel.
In addition to music along the waterfront, Red Bank citizens supported
instruction in the arts, including music.
In 1860,
Prof. J.V. Allstrom opened a school in Red Bank for instruction
on the violin. This music school continued through several decades. He
published a quarterly magazine devoted to music, art and literature at his
Academy of Music on Broad Street.
News of musical events, advertisements, articles
about music and hitherto unpublished pieces of music comprised the magazine's contents.
Professor Allstrom also gave musical concerts at Leighton Hall, which were
always well-attended.
Red Bank historian Helen C. Phillips wrote, "Red Bankers have always delighted in the pursuit of happiness. Their hometown was
and continues to be a fun town."
This included, at various times in the borough's history,
foot races, games in the park, bicycle racing, regatta racing,
shooting (clay and tin targets, and glass balls), and more.
Around the turn of the century ice boating drew large crowds
from as far as New York. Pool tournaments were popular around 1898 at the Union Hotel on Wharf Avenue
and there were weekly prizefights at Opera House on Front Street.
Count Basie Led the Way into the Swing Era
William "Count" Basie
was born in Red Bank, New
Jersey in 1903. He is known as one of the key the founding
members of swing, with his unique understated piano style.
His orchestra had an unmistakable sound – cool, hip and plenty of rhythm.
Visit the Count Basie Theatre site for more on
Red Bank's jazz and blues legend. More |
An intrepid few have been known to commute by boat.
Landmarks include Old Christ Church (1769) and the Allen House (1667).
One of the borough's most notable citizens was Count Basie, a pioneer
of swing music. One of the swingingest places in town is, in fact, the