Southside Johnny with Brian Fallon at the 2011 Hope Concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank
As a reminder that you’re capable of seeing all kinds of things in the Hope Concert series — which takes place regularly at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank — here’s an intergenerational duet from the 2011, with Southside Johnny and Brian Fallon (of The Gaslight Anthem) singing Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World.” Just as you’d expect, the two singers’ similarly gritty voices make for a magical moment.
Cooke wrote the song with Lou Adler and Herb Alpert, and had a hit with it in 1960. Subsequent versions by Herman’s Hermits and Art Garfunkel also made the charts.
Over the years, the series, whose musical director is Bobby Bandiera (who also can be seen in this clip) has attracted guests, sometimes unannounced, such as Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Deborah Harry, Gary U.S. Bonds, John Cafferty, Gene Cornish, John Eddie and Marshall Crenshaw. It has raised more than $1 million for various causes.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday from Sept. 2014 to Sept. 2015. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we marked the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, for almost a year — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. The complete list is here.
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