Editing Asbury Park, New Jersey (section)

===Black music and Springwood Avenue===
{{multiple image
| align             = center
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| image1            = Baker Harcourt 1940 2.jpg
| width1            = 152
| caption1          = [[Josephine Baker]] was one of many African American musicians that either played or was inspired by the Springwood Avenue music club circuit.
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| image2            = Fats Waller edit.jpg
| width2            = 171
| caption2          = [[Fats Waller]] wrote [[Honeysuckle Rose (song)|"Honeysuckle Rose"]] with [[Andy Razaf]] on 119 Atkins Avenue.
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| image3            = WEB DuBois 1918.jpg
| width3            = 163
| caption3          = [[W. E. B. Du Bois]] spoke at Roseland Hall.
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| image4            = Portrait of Billie Holiday and Mister, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. Feb. 1947 (LOC, 5020400274, cropped).jpg
| width4            = 190
| caption4          = [[Billie Holiday]] played at Cuba's on the West Side of town.
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}}

The West Side of Asbury Park has traditionally been home to Black music, including [[jazz]], [[Soul music|soul]], [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[doo wop]], and [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]. African American artists such as the Jersey Shore's own [[Count Basie]] as well as [[Duke Ellington]], [[Lenny Welch]], the Broadways, [[Josephine Baker]], [[Claude Hopkins]], [[Bobby Thomas (musician)|Bobby Thomas]], [[Rex Stewart]], [[Manzie Johnson]], [[Sidney Bechet]], and [[Clarence Clemons]] "either played or were inspired by the [Black]-centered Springwood Avenue club circuit on the West Side of Asbury Park" in the early to mid-century period at places like the Smile-A-While and Gypsy George's.<ref>Jordan, Chris.[https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2018/07/26/hip-hop-asbury-park-scene-starts-emerge-after-decades-segregation/773323002/ "Hip-hop in Asbury Park: Scene emerges after decades of musical segregation"], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', July 26, 2018. Accessed October 24, 2021.</ref><ref>Stewart, Rex. ''Boy Meets Horn'' (1995) pg 66.</ref>

During a visit to the West Side in 1928, [[Fats Waller]] wrote [[Honeysuckle Rose (song)|"Honeysuckle Rose"]] with [[Andy Razaf]] at 119 Atkins Avenue in a property that still stands.<ref>[https://www.aphistoricalsociety.org/history/honeysuckle-rose-house/ Honeysuckle Rose House], Asbury Park Historical Society. Accessed October 22, 2021. "The two-story house at 119 Atkins Avenue, Asbury Park played an important role in the careers of two iconic American songwriters. It was there, in December 1928, that Fats Waller and Andy Razaf wrote the song 'Honeysuckle Rose.'"</ref>

[[Billie Holiday]], [[Tina Turner]], [[Little Richard]] and the [[Four Tops]] all played at Cuba's on the West Side in the mid-century period.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/2020/01/10/butch-pielka-george-theiss-al-muzer-and-cubas-nightclub-owners-named-asbury-angels|title=Butch Pielka, George Theiss, Al Muzer, and Cuba's Nightclub Owners - Asbury Angels|date=January 10, 2020|website=NewJerseyStage.com}}</ref> The former home of [[the Turf Club]], once a well-known mid-century jazz and R&B joint across from what is now Springwood Park, was recently decorated with jazz-themed mural art by a team of local artists to mark its heritage.<ref name=APP2021>Jordan, Chris. [https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/08/18/tuesdays-at-turf-helping-reclaim-asbury-park-new-jersey-music-legacy/8151199002/ "Tuesday at the Turf music series helping to reclaim Asbury Park's music legacy"], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', August 18, 2021. Accessed March 27, 2025.</ref><ref>Rosenberg, Susan. [https://www.aphistoricalsociety.org/newsletters/summer-fall-2020/ "'Signs of the times' illuminate local history for a new era"], Asbury Park Historical Society, Summer-Fall 2020. Accessed March 27, 2025. "The Turf Club was one such hotspot. First established in the 1930s at 1125 Springwood Avenue, it became “Leo’s Turf Club” when new owner Leo Karp hung his familiar bold sign outside in 1948. In 1955, Karp moved the building to its present location, 1200 Springwood Avenue at Atkins Avenue — and for the next fifteen years, (Leo’s) Turf Club showcased nationally-known jazz and R&B acts along with local artists, furthering its robust reputation."</ref><ref>Horner, Charlie. [http://classicurbanharmony.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Asbury-Park-West-Side-Vocal-Groups-Part-1.pdf "Asbury Park's West Side Vocal Groups Part 1 (1948 – 1958)"], reprinted from ''Echoes of the Past'', 2012. Accessed June 13, 2022.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://asburyparkchoice.com/west-side-in-context|title=The West Side in Context – West Side Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan|accessdate=February 16, 2024}}</ref> At the present-day site of Springwood Park in 1918, Black entrepreneur [[Reese DuPree]] turned Lafayette Hall (later the Roseland Hall auditorium) into a popular nightclub.<ref name=APMuseum>[https://ap-museum.org/music-entrepreneur/ Reese DuPree, Music Entrepreneur], Asbury Park Museum. Accessed June 13, 2022.</ref> The location was also used for civil rights activities; [[Marcus Garvey]] and [[W. E. B. Du Bois]] both spoke at Roseland Hall.<ref name=APMuseum/>
The Asbury Park Music Foundation, working with Lakehouse Music Academy and the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County, founded the Hip Hop Institute to teach music and life skills education relevant to young hip hop enthusiasts.

The Asbury Park Museum hosts an exhibit on the history of music on the West Side, spanning the decades from 1880 to 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://classicurbanharmony.net/event/asbury-park-museum-features-classic-urban-harmony-exhibit-asbury-park-west-side-music-1880-1980/|title=Asbury Park Museum features Classic Urban Harmony exhibit, Asbury Park West Side Music, 1880 – 1980|website=classicurbanharmony.net|date=January 3, 2019 }}</ref>

The Asbury Park African-American Music Project, or AP-AMP, created a virtual West Side museum dedicated to the history of Black music in the city.<ref>[https://www.asburyamp.org Home Page], Asbury Park African-American Music Project. Accessed October 22, 2021.</ref><ref>Jordan, Chris. [https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/10/18/black-music-history-asbury-park-west-side-rediscovered/7937650002/ "How Black music history of forgotten West Side of Asbury Park is being rediscovered"], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', October 18, 2021. Accessed October 22, 2021.</ref><ref>[https://tclf.org/preserving-intangible-cultural-heritage-asbury-park "Preserving the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Asbury Park"], The Cultural Landscape Foundation, April 29, 2019. Accessed October 22, 2021.</ref>