The Stone Pony

The Stone Pony, located in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is one of the world's most well-known music venues.

The Stone Pony in 2007

Prior to becoming a music venue, the site was a restaurant named Mrs. Jay's, next to which was Mrs. Jay's Beer Garden that was frequented by a polyglot community of tourists, high school and college students and bikers. During the mid 1960s, the management began to allow bands to perform. After the restaurant and beer garden went out of business in 1968, allegedly over a waitress wearing a see-through blouse, Mrs. Jay's moved two doors south and reopened a short time thereafter, but the original building remained dark until 1974 when it reopened under the Stone Pony banner. The second incarnation of Mrs. Jays became a notorious biker hangout in its later days before being demolished in the late '80s. Harley-Davidsons lined entire blocks after cruising the circuit.

It is known as a starting point for many musicians, first and foremost for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, who were the house-band for much of the mid-seventies, but also for New Jersey natives Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Jon Bon Jovi, and Bam Bam Bigelow (who worked there as a bouncer before his days as a professional wrestler), and Massachusetts native actor/musician "Miami" Steve Van Zandt who was the first guitarist, producer and manager of the Asbury Jukes. The club has also given its name to a prominent Bruce Springsteen internet group - "The Stone Pony London." It continues to attract top musical artists from across the world.

The club is also the venue for the annual Asbury Music Awards , a phenomenal stage show which features a continuous set of local recording artists representing the area's best talents in several genres. The show occurs each November and honored guests appear based on the contributions of several local media outlets, including but not limited to The Aquarian, The Saint [7], WBJB-FM [8], and The Stone Pony house management.

After the renovations in 2009, The Pony is more spacious inside than the outside would suggest.

According to the vice president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Robert Santelli, "the club has already earned its place in history as one of rock 'n' roll's great venues. Most rock critics and historians that I come in contact with on a regular basis feel that The Stone Pony is one of the greatest rock clubs of all time."

Announcing the winners of the Asbury Park Music Awards.

Since it opened in 1974, many of the world's most popular musical artists have played on its stage. Because of it's importance to the music world, there was a national outcry when there was talk of closing the Pony during the late 1990s. At that time, it was rumored that the popularity of establishments with live, original music was on the decline. The situation was touch and go for a while. The Pony was repeatedly opened and closed as developers targeted Asbury Park through the beginning of the new millenium. Musicians and patrons organized and rallied in support of the Stone Pony. The club was renovated in 2000, preserving the character associated with its early years while adding a permanent exhibition of art and artifacts from the history of the city and the venue itself. State of the art lighting and sound equipment were installed, and outside, facing the Atlantic Ocean, The Stone Pony Landing area was redone with a beach motif, tenting and a food facility. Fans and artists continued to support the Pony, and the Asbury Park Music Awards returned to the Stone Pony. Eventually, the music community prevailed, a vibrant live music scene reemerged and the crowds returned. "A visit to The Stone Pony has been considered a pilgrimage to rock 'n' roll fans around the world," said then New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman as she officially reopened the club on Memorial Day weekend 2000. "It is a place that is important—not just to us, but to the world."

The Stone Pony and the Community

Even before it reopened in 2000, The Stone Pony made a commitment to become involved in the Asbury Park community. The club and the city co-sponsored a weekend-long Asbury Park Festival along the oceanfront. The festival was free to the public and featured local arts and crafts vendors as well as live music both inside and outside the club. The U.S. Postal Service created a special cancellation for the event, and hundreds of people lined up to have envelopes stamped for the occasion. The club was open for business in the evening hours, and part of the proceeds were donated to the Stephen Crane House on Fourth Avenue in the city, where the author of The Red Badge of Courage lived during much of his short life.

Since the opening weekend, The Stone Pony has hosted a number of events involving community groups and charities. The club was the scene of the first Asbury Park showing of a photography exhibit spotlighting the city by students of the Rugby School at Woodfield for learning disabled and behaviorally challenged students. Proceeds from a concert entitled "Remembering Harry Chapin" benefited causes which fight world hunger, and the club has been designated as an official drop-off point for the Food Banks of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

The club opened its doors for fundraising events for the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation and the Acoustic Musicians Guild. The Stone Pony also sponsored a concert at which Bruce Springsteen appeared in support of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, and a benefit event for the family of a young man who lost his life in a motorcycle accident.

The Stone Pony Foundation has been established to promote music education at the elementary and high school levels. An amplifier was purchased for an aspiring teenage blues guitarist from the area, and the club was a sponsor for an event at another venue which benefited music and art education in Asbury Park schools.