The Penguin Rocks logo
The Penguin Rocks Menu




 

Hall of Fame:
1983-present

Artists | Songs | Albums | Years
Random Song | Playlist | About


About the Hall of Fame

The Penguin's Hall of Fame was created from the personal collection of music writer, Gary Wien, who runs The Penguin Rocks.

"People always say that you love music from a certain era more than at any other time in your life. For many, it is the music of their youth. I thought about that one day - wondering if there was a period of time that stood out from any other for me. When did I fall in love with music? Did that love stay throughout my life? So, I started this project to find out..."

"I thought about the music I love. If I included everyone, I would never finish. Bands from the sixties and seventies were largely gone before I started buying music, but those albums are in my collection and include some of my all-time favorites. I decided to start with the year my music collection began to take off - 1983. That was the year I was buying albums as they first came out. It probably makes sense that it was the year I became a teenager. Likewise, it was also the year MTV came to my cable system. For me, MTV was like America's own BBC channel. The early years were filled with alternative rock acts that I fell in love with. A few years later, I'd become a die-hard listener of FM 106.3 - a great alternative rock station in my area. Between MTV and 106.3, my musical tastes were defined. Those songs changed my life."

"As an adult, I started writing about music. There was a period of time in which I was at The Saint, a club in Asbury Park, most nights during the week. I saw tons of talented local artists and tons of touring artists - some became big, some faded away, but their music stayed with me."

"Going through my music collection, I pulled out the songs and albums that stood out to me. The songs in which you can clearly remember the lyrics decades later. The ones in which the choruses are burned into your memory. Those are the songs found in this Hall of Fame. Some became hits, some are obscure, but nearly all were played on my internet radio station for years. There are probably hundreds of albums and songs not found in here that I love, but these are the ones I wanted in my music collection - the ones I needed to own. I figure if it is in my collection, I went the extra step to get it and that makes it special."

"Everybody has their own Hall of Fame whether they actually create it or not. I wanted the artists in the HOF to know that someone was listening, someone still loves their music, and someone has never forgotten them. The music here is important to me. Give the music a try, maybe you'll love it, too. It's music that I think should be remembered."




 

COLUMNS


Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Dirty" by Never the Name

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Dirty," the third and final single from the debut LP, "Millennial Boomer Consumer," by the local supergroup Never the Name.




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...6/12/25




This Week in Music: Previews for Concerts from June 10-16, 2025




Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Soul on Fire" by The Beagles with Joy






 

MORE NEWS

(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) has put four new shows for 2025 on sale: The Robert Cray Band – Out Driving Around Tour on Friday, September 26; Evil Dead in Concert on Friday, October 3; Bachman Turner Overdrive on Wednesday, October 29; Choir! Choir! Choir! on Tuesday, December 9.


Haddon Township hosts 8th Annual Summer Solstice Music Festival




Middletown Arts Center presents MAC Music Café on June 29th




90.5 The Night Announces Songwriters on the Beach 2025 Lineup




Cousin Brucie Presents Tony Orlando LIVE! at PNC Bank Arts Center






 

UPCOMING SHOWS


The Princeton Symphony Orchestra Presents the 'Princeton Festival'

The Princeton Festival was first founded in 2004, beginning its inaugural season in 2005 with four performances of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd in the Kirby Theatre at the Lawrenceville School and a performance by the Concordia Chamber Players. It has since grown to a nearly month-long event featuring opera, musical theater, baroque and chamber music, and a constantly evolving selection of other genres, including dance, world music, orchestral pops, and choral concerts.


Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents The Jersey Tenors




2025 New Jersey International Film Festival Video Interview with Mike Kovacs




New Jersey Talent will be featured during 2025 North to Shore Festival






Advertise with The Penguin Rocks for $50-$100 per month, click here for info


The Penguin Rocks

© 2025 by Wine Time Media, LLC
PO Box 811, Belmar, NJ 07719
info@newjerseystage.com

Presented by New Jersey Stage

Images used on this site have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and PR firms. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us and we will look into the matter.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and our NJ Stage accounts on Instagram, and Threads


News | Features | Radio Shows | Penguin's Hall of Fame | Song of the Week | BlowUpRadio column

Contact Us | About Us | Submit Music | Ad Rates