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

One of the greatest food critics and culinary journalists in the history of southern New Jersey, Ed Hitzel, suffering a very sudden death approximately 11 years ago.

At that time, Carmen Marotta was becoming an increasingly frequent cohost on his show, TABLE FOR ONE. Consequently, The Tony Mart Family became active in producing a radio show that focused on restaurants, cooking and wine, but expanded it into the music of the Tony Mart Legacy.

With the assistance of Harry & Don Hurley, affiliated with WPG, this became a reality that has become the highest ranking Saturday afternoon talk show at 12:00pm weekly: Tony Mart Presents Music, Food, Fun, Travel: Let the Good Times Roll!

In the 10 years that have transpired since the inception of the weekly talk radio show, Tony Mart Presents has increased its production of concerts with further development of Mardi Gras On The Boardwalk, the FREE Boardwalk concert series that initiated approximately 15 years ago.

In 2025, Tony Mart Cares Inc., our nonprofit community service organization became the producers of Legacy Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point, now in its 33rd year.

Several years ago, Tony Mart Presents reintroduced The Jersey Gumbo Cookoff & Louisiana Music Festival, which has become exponentially successful in July at the beautiful tiki bar and tropical nightclub, The Point, located at 998 Bay Avenue, at the site of the former Bay Shores Nightclub, across from the original Tony Marts on the historic Somers Point bay front.

The Jersey Gumbo Cookoff & Louisiana Music Festival continues its focus featuring extensive information on favorite restaurants and eateries along with extensive information about the amazingly FREE concerts, which are produced in both Somers Point and Atlantic City as the premiere FREE headline concert series at the Jersey shore each summer.

The radio show now features detailed information and very interesting, amusing & fascinating interviews regarding the performances and the careers of the musical artists; travel to major musical events such as New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and back in Jersey, Michael Arnone's Crawfish Festival in Sussex County. Occasionally, the show features savory details of the last of the 'real deal' Americana restaurants, BBQ's, 'road food' and traditions which we are still able to enjoy for over 45 years.

In addition to updating and encapsulating all of these activities produced by Tony Mart Presents and Tony Mart Cares Inc., the radio show has become focused on the fabulous wines of the world and the significant values offered by Circle Liquor Store, our premiere sponsor, as curated by the wine master at Circle, Chester Malloy, the First Lady of Circle Liquor, the lovely Jeanette Giemza, and Tony Marts own sommelier, Julia Stacy Reilly, AKA the 'wine goddess'.

With so much content and detail as to how to enjoy life it's no wonder that the radio show is consistently polling the #1 most listened to show our time slot by large margins!

It's all about celebrating positive good times in life! Tune in and remember that you can get the weekly broadcasts live in real time by merely clicking on WPG in the top right corner.

Let the good times roll!

The new Chef King Gumbo for 2026 has been crowned with a regal second line parade from the Bay to Bay Avenue at the gorgeous Tiki Bar and Tropical Restaurant and Nightclub, The Point, where the Jersey Gumbo Cook Off and Louisiana Music Festival was produced by The Point Nightclub and Tony Mart Presents.

Executive Chef Phil Gormley from Smithville took first prize with a subtle but sophisticated Seafood Gumbo, full of lobster, scallops and all kinds of savory seafood flavors.

The honorary special Guest Judge, Wanda Joseph, Grammy Award Winning bassist from Soul Project NOLA and the Jon Batiste Band, said that it wasn’t like the neighborhood gumbo, but it was so damn good she had to vote for it!

You will be able to see Soul Project NOLA tomorrow night Wednesday, July 15 at 8:30PM at the free Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk concert at Kennedy Plaza.

Soul Project NOLA is an incredible All-Star uptown New Orleans funk and R&B band with members of the Marcia Ball Band, the Jon Batiste Band and original members of the famous Walter “Wolfman” Washington Band. They are pedigree intensely tight, entertaining and really unique.

The five time Grammy award nominated Queen of the Blues from Chicago, Shemekia Copeland, will start the concert tomorrow night, Wednesday, July 15 at 7 PM sharp. She will do a full show and then we will have an uptown New Orleans funk party from 830 ‘til 10pm.

The beverage garden will be open and good times will be rolling!

Also appearing at Jersey Gumbo at The Point were our good friends, Dead Reckoning presenting their “Bearly Stoned” tribute to the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. They will open the show Friday night, July 17, on the Beach in Somers Point at 7 o’clock sharp before one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll performers In East Coast rock ‘n’ roll, John Cafferty will bring his Beaver Brown Band and the original triple platinum soundtrack from Eddie and the Cruisers as well as his fabulous new music in his latest release “Sound Waves“ which was inspired by Bruce Springsteen and others who encouraged him to capture his sound once again. You will see that he did! And we are so proud to have John Cafferty celebrate the Legacy of Tony Marts 44 years after Eddie and the Cruisers was filmed right there on Bay Avenue only a few blocks from where we will have our party and concert Friday night the 17th this week.

Next week will be Tony Marts New Orleans Funk Celebration with “King George” Porter, one of the most famous of the living New Orleans musical legends, bringing his Runn’ Pardners and performing in a double concert with John “Papa” Gros in a tribute to the Meters, Dr. John, Billy Preston and the Beatles and Allan Toussaint.

This is a major festival event which would command of $100 ticket or more when played at Red Rocks in Colorado or in LA! It’s all happening right here as we celebrate July, Wednesday the 22nd at Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk and at the outdoor concert venue that has been the tops in the nation the last four years, The Legacy Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point next Friday, July 24!

We want all of our friends to know that we’re throwing a party in between those dates on Thursday, July 23 at Josie Kelly’s Public House. It will be Nancy and Carmen Marotta’s 70th Birthday Celebration and everyone is invited for free to relax, party and get together with some of our greatest performers, Billy Walton, Danny Eyer, “Old School“ Jimmy Glenn and Tony Teschner.

That is a free show with complementary goodies to celebrate the greatest time of the year at the Jersey Shore!

This week on the radio we will interview our newly crowned Chef King Gumbo, Executive Chef Phillip Gormley from Smithville, and separately; the famous John “Papa Gros Funk” to talk about the legacy of New Orleans musical history and Funk in anticipation of one of the greatest free New Orleans concerts of the year at the Jersey Shore, Tony Mart Presents New Orleans funk celebration.

In two weeks we will present one of the greatest rock stars in the world, Mitch Ryder, performing 17 hit songs, three gold records and his iconic “Devil with the Blue Dress On” nearly always counted as one of the best 100 songs in the history of rock ‘n’ roll!

With our many great sponsors and supporters including The Point Tiki Bar and Nightclub in Somers Point, the Circle Liquor Store, probably the best independent liquor store in the world, open 9 AM to 10 PM every day and our dear friend Richard Gerber from Richard T Gerber Insurance. We are rolling right into the peak of the summer with a gorgeous weather forecast and immense good karma!

No pun intended, but one of the coolest of the summertime promotions this year is the Italian Ice Festival this Saturday, 18 July at the Ocean Casino.

Roll with us as we Let the Good Times Roll!