By Eileen Moon
In his 2021 musical autobiography, “You Don’t Know Me,” musician, composer, entrepreneur and Two River native Norman Seldin chronicles a life saved by his Steinway piano.
A musical prodigy impatient with the limitations of the classroom, Seldin was a working musician in his early teens, making waves and booking bands that brought white audiences to Black music and contributed to the musical and cultural alchemy that marked the 1950s and 1960s both on and off the stages of America.
Sunday, March 6, Red Bank’s own Seldin will bring his 11-piece band to the grand ballroom of the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park to celebrate the roots and branches of Jersey rock ’n’ roll with a stomping, striding, sliding, piano-key-busting romp and jump through the decades of rhythm and blues, jazz, soul, doo-wop, pop and rock ’n’ roll that are the heart and soul of the Jersey Shore.
Joining Seldin in this benefit performance for the Asbury Park Museum will be Larry Chance of the Earls, Jersey Shore Doo Wop artist Joel Katz and well-known shore per- formers Pam McCoy, Vicky Warne, Christopher Plunkett, Robert Boyd, Tom Timko, Damian Cremisio, Lee Sanderson, Rick Brunermer, Chuck Lambert, Stiletto & the Sax Man and many more.
From the days when the 3-year-old Norman found refuge from his troubles through the keys of his first piano to the present period of looking back, the book reflects Seldin’s experiences as he grew from piano prodigy to teenage rock ’n’ roll impresario, booking bands before he was old enough to drive.
Seldin frankly admits it was not a journey without a multitude of ups and downs.
From Harlem to the Brill Building and from the segregated clubs of Asbury Park to the beach town meccas of Florida and Mississippi, Seldin recounts adventures that were equal parts grit and glamour, sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.
He credits his wife, Jamey, whom he met while performing in Mississippi, with saving his life – and the Steinway piano for being his best friend through it all.
Seldin’s parents, both classically trained musicians, signed him up for music lessons when he was only 3. He also credits the many piano teachers who challenged and inspired him through some difficult years.
The Seldin family history in Red Bank goes back to the 1920s, and the name is still a familiar one: Seldin’s parents opened their Broad Street jewelry store in 1945, where, when he was not playing piano, Seldin worked the counter and learned the business from a very young age.
Years later, he and Jamey opened Seldin Trinkets on Front Street, specializing in Native American jewelry they sourced firsthand.
If there is one thing he is most proud of, it’s his role in helping to break the color barrier on local stages when the divide between Black and white, onstage and off, was a shameful reality here and around the nation.
Much more than a simple story about one man’s life, “You Don’t Know Me” chronicles a historic journey through decades in which issues of race, class, culture, and religion played out on and off stage across America and in our own backyards.
There are plenty of famous names and notable moments in the story, not the least of which is Seldin’s old friend, Clarence Clemons, who died in 2011. Clemons joined Seldin’s band, The Joyful Noyze, long before his saxophone became the keynote of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
Years later, on a break from E Street, Clemons would turn up at the Lock, Stock and Barrel when Seldin was performing to sit in with the band, sometimes bringing Gary Tallent and Max Weinberg along for the fun.
Watch for the ticket sale announcement soon for the March 6 fundraiser at the Berkeley.
“You Don’t Know Me,” by Norman Seldin and Charlie Horner, is available on Amazon or visit normanseldin.com for more information and a link.
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 13 – 19, 2022, print edition of The Two River Times.
