TONY MART'S


DON (who didn't give me his last name, unfortunately) sent me some interesting information on the old Tony Mart's. Many thanks, Don!

"It was a great night club in Somers Point, NJ, which is about five miles outside Atlantic City. It was a local haunt, which so many of the area residents and tourists would visit, as Tony always had great live entertainment, both local and name acts.

I remember back in the early 1980s (I believe it was 1980 to be exact) Tony approached me and my brother one night and said that we had to come back next week, as a movie was being filmed about a rock and roll band. The only hook was, that we would have to dress up in 60s garb, which (to my regret) we declined to do. We came back that week, unfortunately in 80s wear (in retrospect the 60s outfits would be more lasting, unwittingly to us) and could only watch the filming from the outside.

I did not pick up on Eddie and the Cruisers (like many) until after its release on video - but it is a story I enjoy and the music, to this day. It's funny how I remember that night, and Tony Mart asking us to come back and dress up for the movie, like it was just a couple of years ago. In actuality, Tony Mart has been dead for about five years, I think. I recall reading in our local newspaper that Tony passed away in Texas.

The club had been sold to a new operator, about thirteen years ago. It was demolished and a new waterfront club, bearing no resemblance to the old Tony Mart's, has been in operation since.

If you remember the red arrow that pointed down into the club - it also stretched from around the circle adjacent to the bay, leading you right into Tony's.

If you recall the scene where Eddie is teaching the Wordman to rock and roll on the keyboard (when they introduce On The Dark Side), they are all on a deck, which is the Anchorage Bar, just a few doors down the block from Tony Mart's. The Anchorage is a long-standing fixture in Somers Point, recently remodeled, but with much of the old charm that made the Somers Point strip so memorable."


STEVE MASON says:

"Thanks for the memories. I used to rock at Tony Mart's in the early 1960s. Seems like there were seven bars in there and a couple of bands going at once. Lots of cuties came down from Phila and we met some great girls there. Alabama Jubilee was the hot song in 1961 at Tony's."


And O.C.CLIFT writes:

"Our group, the Five Emcees, out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, played at Tony's
in the summer of '63. the bandstand was raised in about the middle of the
room. We had a good reception there, although we played a lot of blues and
rock 'n roll. We didn't add a sax until the next year. We traveled coast to coast,
playing in Canada mostly, but also in Atlantic City, Virginia Beach, Ocean City
and New York at the Peppermint Lounge and Wagon Wheel, both on 45th
Street. We played on the West Coast in Hollywood, Las Vegas and Honolulu.
We stayed upstairs at Tony's; he rented us that apartment for the two weeks
we were there. I had a picture of our names on the marquee, but it's been lost.
Oh, yes, after hours, we went to Joe's Bar (that was his real name) and had
eggs with our beer. Great place; great memories."


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September 18th 2000