Southside Johnny

Blue-Eyed Soul and hard-rocking, horn-driven R&B are the order of the day for this New Jersey band, formed in 1974 by Johnny Lyon and Miami Steve Van Zandt. The idea was to create a band that fused soulful rock 'n' roll with the lean southern-style R&B of Stax Records. Van Zandt played guitar and wrote the songs, and Lyon sang in a down and dirty rasp. Van Zandt continued to work with the band after he left to join Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, and the association has helped them to become a fairly big draw outside of their home state. Even though mainstream success has eluded them, they've maintained the brutal touring and recording cycle of dedicated lifers, more than 25 years after their inception.