(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Memorial Day weekend was somber this year for the Jersey Shore music community who lost one of its biggest supporters in Bob Colyard. An avid music fan who often went to live shows in Asbury Park, Colyard, 68, passed away on May 20th after a bike ride through the Manasquan Bike Trail. The music community will gather to remember Bob on Sunday, November 18th at The Saint in Asbury Park. An afternoon of music featuring several of Bob's favorites will run from 11:00am to around 4:30pm. Admission is $10 and proceeds will be donated to Musicians On A Mission.
Artists scheduled to perform include Joshua Van Ness (11:10am), Tara Dente (11:30am), Joe Harvard (11:50am), Divine Sign / The Sunday Blues (12:10pm), Secret Guest (12:30pm), Lou Montesano (12:50pm), George Wirth (1:10pm), Amanda Duncan (1:30pm), Kenny "Stringbean" Sorensen Duo (1:50pm), Dentist (2:10pm), UFOTOFU (2:30pm), Rick Barry (2:50pm), Rick Colyard (3:10pm), and Val Emmich (3:55pm).
Biking was one of Bob's many passions and he could often be seen riding through Belmar and Avon. He was found unresponsive in the bike trail parking lot with the engine running and music blaring. It was a shock to everyone who knew him. Everyone seemed to have a special story about a conversation they had with Bob over music, biking, hockey, or life itself. Both Bob and his wife Janet could often be found at The Saint supporting local acts as well as national acts.
"We often think of a music scene as just involving the artists, but a true music scene is much more than that - it includes the music fans, the bartenders, club owners, music writers, photographers, artists, and local DJs," said Gary Wien, publisher of New Jersey Stage. "Everyone together makes a scene special and Bob was a huge part of the Asbury Park scene from the time the town's comeback was just a far-fetched idea to recent years in which its comeback has made national news. Bob was at shows when the only reason people came to Asbury Park was for the music. Without people like him, the town may never have seen its comeback happen."
Colyard was born in Neptune, raised in West Belmar, and lived in Brick for the last 41 years. He served in the US Army first in Fort Monmouth and later in Okinawa for three years. He worked for AT&T as an Electronics Technician. He is survived by Janet, his wife of 47 years; his son, Robert Colyard Jr. and his fiancée Marie Ferrante; daughter, Adrienne Scutellaro and her husband Shaune; grandchildren, Evelyn, Cecilia and Archer; brother, Thomas M. Colyard III and his wife Ingrid, brother-in-law, Jerry Hauselt; and numerous nieces and nephews.
"What I loved about Bob was that he was like a character straight out of a Jack Kerouac novel," said Wien. "He was someone who lived a full life and enjoyed life. The cliche is that people stop listening to new music after their teenage years with the bands they grew up with forever etched in their memory; that was not Bob at all. He never stopped listening to new music and, more importantly, never stopped craving that amazing feeling of discovering a new band. He lived for it."
The Saint is located at 601 Main Street in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
