New Jersey Stage published its 25,000th story in December 2021. As the site approached the milestone, we posed the question on social media as how we should celebrate. One response was to highlight our favorite stories from over the years. We liked this idea, but could not narrow things down to just 25 favorites so we will present a favorite each day from different genres. Every Monday we feature one of our favorite stories in music. Our piece this week is a feature on Bobby Bandiera who was taking a look back at his career in advance of a special show he performed in 2016 that featured his original songs and those of artists he’s shared stages with over the last 30 years.
The piece was published on February 20, 2016 and is available here. In addition to his own solo career, Bandiera has been a member of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes and Bon Jovi. During his career, the great guitarist also performed with artists like Graham Parker, Darlene Love, Gary U.S. Bonds, and Dave Edmunds.
We take a look at his career from the beginning - back when he found himself playing night after night across the Jersey Shore when he was about 16 years old. The guy who grew up in Orange, NJ would go on to become a Jersey Shore legend. He's toured around the world, set up special bands for fundraisers involving Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, and performed popular tribute shows that cover artists like Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. Learn more about the man and his career in this piece.
