Music, Food, Fun, Travel: Let the Good Times Roll! Live this Saturday and every Saturday at high noon on WPG 1450AM 95.5FM Listen to:  Current Podcast  - prior podcasts *System Requirements May Apply to Stream Live

Saturdays 12noon to 1pm ~ Radio WPG 1450AM or 95.5FM

Tony Mart Presents Music, Food, Fun Travel: Let the Good Times Roll! this Saturday and every Saturday at high noon on WPG 1450 AM, 95.5 FM and www.Tonymart.com

Happy Columbus Day!

"I discovered America!" Is what Tony Mart said about his arrival on October 12, 1932 in Atlantic City where he began working with a pick and shovel doing hard labor and trying to learn English.

We pray thanks to God and to him every day for creating the legacy of Tony Mart, which is celebrated by Tony Mart Presents and Tony Mart Cares at every event we produce.

Close to ground zero where Tony Mart's once stood, we are proud and ecstatic to present the Number One Rated Free Outdoor Concert Series for on the Beach in Somers Point, The Legacy Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point!

We have already begun working to produce another concert series beginning June 12, 2026. As part of that we are throwing a party and everyone is invited on January 9, 2026 at Josie Kelly's Pub.

This will be the 2026 Concert Kickoff Party for all our friends, our team of supporters and volunteers and; most importantly, our Sponsors.

This week Nancy Marotta completed her application to The State of New Jersey and the County of Atlantic for grant funds to help finance the Legacy Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point as she has done successfully for approximately 20 years.

You can read the narrative presented to them as part of this application at the end of this email/blast.

We are working hard and enjoying the music in New Orleans this week for the Crescent City Blues and Barbecue Festival and getting ready for the Nola Funk Fest next weekend which will kick off with Soul Project Nola a world class New Orleans R&B, funk band who go all the way back to the days when many of it's members were part of the legendary Walter Wolfman Washington Band. Their current leader and superb guitarist performer, Christian Duquet, will join us on the radio this week as we celebrate the fact that he performed at Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk this past June 25 as part of the Nola Jersey Funkfest and ironically, next Friday the 17th of October, he will kick off the Nola Funkfest at Spanish Plaza on the Mississippi River.

The food has been even more impressive than you dream about here in New Orleans.

We'll talk briefly about three different and superb dining experiences in one of the world's greatest cities for unique and indigenous cuisine: Charles Seafood, Louisianna Gulf Coast casual seafood just a little on the Cajun side; one of the greatest and most famous of all the Creole Italian restaurants in the history of New Orleans, Pascals Manale, whose 37 year experienced oyster shucker actually opened up the oysters for our Oysters Bienville and our Oysters Rockefeller!

We are also proud to report that one of the most famous of the "po' boy and pot food restaurants" right in the heart of downtown New Orleans, Mothers, is truly as great as ever!

We have reviewed extensively with the winemaster, Chester Malloy, who is offering very seriously discounted prices on a vast selection of the world's finest wines and the incredible values on those wines at the best independent liquor store in the world, the Circle Liquor Store!

In addition to winemaster Chester Malloy's unmatched values on so many fabulous and varying wines from all over, we will focus on some of the German and Alsatian flavors as well as the latest beers and Oktoberfest favorites and five of the original seven Munich Oktoberfest beers available along with the staggering selection of Oktoberfest products.

Back in Somers Point our dear friend and mentor, Nick Regine, the president of the South Jersey Jazz Society and the director of Somers Point Unique Experiences, is producing "A Night at the Opera" which is more than one of the funniest movies ever made by the Marx Brothers!,

Relying on the consistently impressive, fine quality cuisine of Gregory's Restaurant, you can spend "A Night at the Opera", enjoying four courses and listening to Grammy award-winning, world recognized performers sing from table to table in the intimate and always enjoyable atmosphere of one of the Jersey Shore's, classic restaurant and bar.

A Night at the Opera will be cool, classy, funny, sophisticated and a delicious delight so different than anything happening around South Jersey right now!

Just a couple weeks after the holidays, you can immerse yourself in a luxurious cruise surrounded by the greatest New Orleans musical artists in the world performing on the lovely Holland America Eurodam right on board with you.

The Big Easy Cruise is leaving Fort Lauderdale on January 18, 2026. It will sail up the Mississippi River to New Orleans, where another one of our headline stars, Galactic, will perform at their nightclub, Tipitina's, for all of those passengers fortunate enough to be on The Big Easy Cruise enjoying the comfort, safety and luxury of the Holland America Eurodam, while intimately relaxing and simultaneously experiencing the greatest, most exciting performances of Little Feat, Trombone Shorty, Cyril Neville, Samantha Fish, Marcia Ball, Mark Broussard; Soul Rebels, Johnny Sansone, Susan Cowsill, George Porter, Jr., Beausoleil for the Cajun touch, and a dozen more Gulf Coast music stars.

Go to BigEasycruise.com to check it out quickly as it will almost assuredly sell out! Tell them Tony Mart Presents referred you and get a special discount.

Like the Big Easy Cruise that will enter the mouth of the Mississippi at the Gulf of Mexico, the music flowed northward, past all the places whose musical culture and history are featured when Tony Mart Presents Legacy Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point and Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City!

In two weeks of phenomenal festival performances, we will cruise musically up the Mississippi to Memphis and Chicago and all over the United States back to the Jersey Shore, where we will bring it all home!

LEGACY CONCERTS ON THE BEACH IN SOMERS POINT

Consistent with the unique place in Jersey Shore rock 'n' roll history exemplified by the many famous performers who starred at the legendary rock 'n' roll club, Tony Marts, during its 38 year tenure just a few blocks from this beach concert venue on Morrow Beach, the concerts have become even more commemorative with historical significance and cultural enrichment of the diverse American music presented during the course of the 15 concerts.

Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point is a series of free performing arts concerts that take place on the William Morrow Municipal Beach in Somers Point on Bay Ave. from mid-June until early September. The concerts take place every Friday night from 7pm until 9:30pm with a special 4th of July concert. The shows are produced for a broad audience of family oriented guests of all ages. Our shows have a varied selection of programing with local acts and also national touring acts for everyone to enjoy.

The audience demographics have gradually evolved with more young families and participants in the 30 to 55 year-old age bracket as well as a steady young audience who recognize the roots rock and classic, popular Americana and blues rock artists and simply enjoy the superbly performed dance and party music as well as noteworthy, award-winning national/international entertainment.

Our audience is comprised of teens to seniors and everyone in between. Families and friends gather weekly to enjoy these free shows that will this year be in it's 33rd year. We have a loyal following of special needs people. Our average weekly audience ranges from 800 to 1200. Being a shore town allows us to attract many visitors who are delighted with the free entertainment. We attract many senior citizens on a limited budget as well as lower income patrons who are very appreciative of the opportunity to see world class entertainment for free.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets to relax on the sand and enjoy the breathtaking sunset views over the bay while listening to live music. The family-friendly atmosphere, paired with the scenic waterfront setting, makes each concert a memorable experience for both locals and visitors alike.

It is very clear that many families and many folks who are limited in their mobility or suffering with health problems or issues such as autism and physical handicaps find a great deal of joy and comfort in these performances with very dynamic and personable performers who usually meet and greet with the public giving autographs, shaking hands and taking pictures. The joy found by these audience members is palpable and very rewarding.

It is truly heartwarming and deeply gratifying to be recognized by members of the community who thank us on behalf of the thousands of fans and friends who come to the concert series. It is especially fulfilling when people clearly indicate that they would not be able to afford concerts of this world, class quality, nor would they be able to participate in attending many venues because of limitations, age and disabilities. There are many people comfortably seated on the special matting that they utilize as they enter from the sidewalk and put their chairs in this area, which makes it so much easier allowing older folks to relax and enjoy. There are many disadvantaged audience members who complement the concert series every week and literally seem to live for those Friday nights in the summer on the beach in Somers Point. They are truly unique and magical experiences.

Some of our Sponsors are vendors who set up their food trucks or tents and have coffee and other items such as ice cream available for purchase. This makes a very affordable night out with free entertainment.

Our committee's goal is to present a very high quality, enjoyable series of diversified genres of music for everyone to enjoy for free. We are very fortunate to have a loyal list of Sponsors from local and regional businesses and organizations who provide the funding for this very popular weekly music series.

We love to present different musical genres such as Rock and Roll, Blues, Gospel, Americana, roots rock, and the increasingly popular, driving Blues rock, New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk, Louisiana Zydeco, Country & Western, Caribbean and other World music. There is cultural and historical information given in the narration of the performances in order for the audience to learn about what they are enjoying.

As we look forward to our 33rd anniversary season in 2026, we are proud that we earned the label of consistency. The regional audience and national audience, looking for major touring, multi award-winning and million selling artists, know that they are going to see the very best, excellent performances for free every Friday. They can plan this like they plan the big ticket and extremely expensive concert experiences that they pay for on their summer season calendar.

Whether it is the Tampa Bay Blues festival, the New Orleans, Jazz and Heritage Festival, Michael Arnone's Crawfish Festival in Sussex County, New Jersey, or any one of the many themed music cruises and other major festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella, music people from all over the country who are familiar with the Jersey Shore, know that the Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point are truly special and amazingly excellent free concerts open to everyone!

Consequently, we have put the Somers Point Beach on the same national itinerary as many of the national festivals, events, series, and concert venues by consistently providing great shows and major groups of performing artists.

Diversity is key and there are well over 20 musical styles represented repeatedly throughout the season. Many of the shows have two performances such that in 2024, there were 14 concerts with 20 different groups of musical artists performing.

It is very evenly split between party dance bands that drive the good times with covers of many artists as well as some of their own music. The other half of the season is devoted to famous rock 'n' roll Hall of Fame, Grammy award-winning, million selling and other award-winning artists, including the International Blues Foundation in Memphis and New Orleans Big Easy Award Winners.

People are very grateful to be able to budget their entertainment dollars for the season by balancing their very favorite shows on our schedule with the more costly items in which they may indulge.

It is especially rewarding to be told by so many people that they have decided to retire in the area or buy a second home in the area, where many of them do eventually retire, because they know that they will have a summer of great entertainment.

This is very serious economic development that complements the fantastic business that Somers Point and neighboring restaurants and establishments enjoy on Friday nights from mid-June through early September.

The producers of this series work with approximately 30 of the very finest musical artists, technicians, recording, engineers, and composers in the region to put together the highest quality tributes to classic rock 'n' roll artists and the sounds of so many important, popular eras in music, including swing, classic rock, 70's psychedelic, British invasion, and especially the distinctive East Coast rock 'n' roll sound which developed in important places along the East Coast like Somers Point, Asbury Park, Wildwood and Atlantic City.

Our concerts are never far from the heart of American music as they originate from the very place that Bill Haley and his Comets performed after contributing to the birth of the rock 'n' roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the very roots of East Coast Americana, when Bob Dylan decided that Levon and the Hawks, then playing at Tony Marts, was the band to take him from acoustic folk to electric folk rock.

The karmic and ageless emotions and ambience of Legacy Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point follow the window of musical evolution that Somers Point provided as the

music began in New Orleans and Mississippi and went up the river to Memphis, Chicago and across the rest of the country.

It is this distinction, along with the high-quality of musical artistic performance and excellent sound reinforcement which have created the national recognition it has received in 2023 as Number One in the USA Today Top Ten national polling; in 2024 it was Number Two in the Nation.

And now again in 2025 we have won the honor of being the #1 Finest Outdoor Concert Venue in the United States.

The multigenerational histories of family performance abound in the programming of this series. Fabled drummer from the southern rock icons, the Allman Brothers, Butch Trucks was honored by his family, the Melody Trucks Band, Vaylor Trucks and the Fitzke Brothers who are an amazing rhythm section at the age of 19 and 22 respectively! That was a night of Americana Jams no one will ever forget!

On the other end of the spectrum, the 80-year-old Mitch Ryder performed with the Tony Mart Allstars and astounded an audience of well over 1000 people in the "First in the Nation Celebration Finale" on September 12, 2025. These are memories that families share and people cherish together forever!

Also performing were the very best in roots and Americana tribute sounds including "Dead Zep" who performed melodic medleys of both the Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin juxtaposed together.

One of the most famous country western and rockabilly stars to play in Somers Point for so many years, Conway Twitty, was honored in a exceptional tribute performed by his grandson, Tre Twitty, accompanied by one of the greatest rockin' roadhouse blues bands in the history of Washington DC, The Nighthawks, and Reverend Billy C Wirtz, the hilarious Carolina dueling pianist, boogie-woogie piano specialist.

All of this exemplifies what we present with superlative, highly recognized musical artist, including "Dead Zep" with the New England diva, Haley Jane; the legendary "Eddie and the Cruisers" recording artists, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, as well as multi Grammy award winning world, music stars Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, Third World, reggae pop, multimillion selling artists, and headliner names like Cyril Neville from the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and New Orleans legendary Neville Brothers, Devon Allman, Greg Allman's son, and Jimmy Vivino with GE Smith, who brought both Grammy and Emmy award winning recognition from Saturday Night Live, to the Legacy Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point.

Our "First Call" saxophonist, Howard Isaacson went to #1 in the 2025 Contemporary Jazz charts with his single "Daylight"!

On Friday, July 26, 2024 the concert producers brought together an incredible array of

the greatest musicians in the world to pay musical tribute to the Martin Scorsese movie,

The Last Waltz, filmed 11 years after The Band left Somers Point to perform with Bob Dylan.

Starring in that show were Dave Malone, lead singer and guitarist from one of New Orleans greatest rock 'n' roll jam bands, The Radiators. The original guitarist who appeared with Muddy Waters in the movie, "Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin" also performed on the Somers Point stage along with Mark Mullins and the horn section from Bonerama that played the original Allen Toussaint charts from the movie; and two of New Orleans top artists, Johnny Sansone and the Honey Island Swamp Band. It was one of the greatest performances in the 32 years of the concert series.

This year we again were voted #1 in the USA Top 10 Readers Poll for the Best Outdoor Concert Venue in America. We are so very happy and proud for this honor. That's #1 in 2023, #2 in 2024 and #1 again in 2025! We were voted #2 in The Best of the Press (Atlantic City) in 2024 also.

Our committee passes out surveys towards the end of each season to get feedback and suggestions as to what our audience would like to hear in the future. Careful consideration is given to these many suggestions.

We are actively working to engage many of the following artists for the 2026 season:

• Mike Zito
• Melody Trucks Band
• Mitch Ryder
• The Billy Walton Band
• The Tony Mart All-Stars "Eagles Country" Tribute to the Eagles
• The Dane Anthony Band
• The Girls Can't Help It, A tribute to the great female vocalist from the 60's to today
• The Asbury Jukes horn section
• The E Street Shuffle Tribute to Bruce Springsteen
• Gary US Bonds
• John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band
• Coco Montoya
• Bywater Call
• Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience
• Dead Zepp with Haley Jane
• Contemporary Jazz Award Winning Saxophonist, Howard Isaacson
• Tony Mart Allstars with Guest Stars
• Marcia Ball
• Carolyn Wonderland & Cindy Cashbox

I've included a few biographies of some of the artists for your reference.

Posters of the schedule are handed out to the audience and Sponsors and are posted all over town. Our website www.Somerspointbeachconcerts.com has the schedule and information about the artists. Patrons can also contact us through the website with questions or to inquire about obtaining listening devices if needed. Our Facebook page has over 12,000 followers and is updated weekly with information and pictures about the schedule and the artists.

We are very proud of our series and hope to see you at some of our shows.

Thank you!

As they say in New Orleans and they said for 38 years at Tony Marts and now for 33 years on the Beach in Somers Point, "Let the Good Time Roll!"